Beneath The Sun's Surface

Chapters

Nº 2: Just A Drop of Cloud
Nº 3: Lowering the Sun
Nº 5: Pained Hearts
Nº 6: The New Girl At Work
Nº 7: Million Day Funeral
Nº 8: Remind Me To Never Make You Angry
Nº 9: A Furred Friend
Nº 10: Blinded
Nº 11: Passive Ability
Nº 12: Land Dispute
Nº 13: Breakdown
Nº 14: Addition to the Fleet
Nº 15: Departure
Nº 16: Forest Dreams
Nº 17: Just My Luck
Nº 18: Dark Truths Come To Light
Nº 19: 29 Days
Nº 20: Good News or the Great News?
Nº 21: Why Does Everyone Drink Whiskey?
Nº 22: Welcome To Stalliongrad
Nº 23: No More Running
Nº 24: The End
Nº 0: Epilogue
Nº 1: Day In the Life
Nº 4: Discoveries and Despair

Nº 2: Just A Drop of Cloud

Cloud Drop knocked on the door to a very large, extravagant home, moments later a tan mare (the home owner's assistant) wearing a black jacket opened the door. The one thing he noticed about her was her glowing, cat-like eyes, similar to Nightmare Moons, her slit pupils dilating to adjust for the change in brightness.

"Well, hello Admiral! Here to see Star Yield?"
The mare said in a genial manner.

"Yes, I am. I've got good news."

"Wonderful! Before you come in, though, dust all of that snow off. I don't want it to melt all over the floor."

Cloud Drop complied, brushing the snow from his head, back and wings as he entered the house. The entryway was almost as extravagant as Canterlot Castle. There was a large crystal chandelier hanging high above the polished hardwood floor, a tapestry depicting a scene of a grassy field hanging on the wall above one of the two staircases, the second staircase had three paintings hanging on its wall, one a portrait of a light brown Unicorn, his caramel mane finely combed as it could be. Next to the set of stairs that led to the second floor was two entrances to other rooms of the home, a third hall lay between the two staircases. One of the doors was open and Cloud Drop was able to get a glimpse of a fireplace and couch in the room as he walked up the stairs. Once getting to the top of the stairs, he turned down the left hallway, passing several doors as he got to the end of the hall. He knocked on the last door of the hall, seconds later it opened on its own, revealing a large Office. At the end of the office was a half-hexagon window along with a large desk and 3 chairs, one behind the desk, and two smaller chairs in front of it. To Cloud's left was a fireplace, a large fire roaring in it's gaping brick mouth, keeping the office a toasty temperature. On his right was a small coffee table; atop it sat two coffee mugs, a kettle and an assortment of supplies for preparing either coffee or tea.

"So, what brings you by on this cold afternoon, Admiral?"
A male voice asked, making Cloud Drop look over to the chair behind the desk as it turned around, revealing the same light brown Unicorn depicted in the painting downstairs.

The Unicorn of mention was the main spell-worker for the Royal Equestrian Guard and was a retired Professor of Magical Science at the Celestia University Of Gifted Unicorns. He was also the orchestrator behind the New Order, an organization (though it was more of a cult) that had been created mere weeks after Princess Luna's unbanishment from the moon. The organization aimed to assist Princess Luna in raising to power over Celestia and re-incarnate Nightmare Moon, or as she had been locally named, The Mother of the Night. The odd thing about this organization was that Princess Luna had no involvement in its creation, nor did she have knowledge of its existence. True, the spell used to enter one into the organization had been created a full thousand years ago by Luna, but the opportunity for its use had never struck. Instead, the spell, along with a sort of manifestation of Nightmare Moon herself, had been bestowed upon Star from a shard of Nightmare Moon's armor. At the current time, three thousand ponies across Equestria in various positions of power had the Aura, as it had been named by Star, bestowed upon them, making the New Order quite the large organization, yet no one knew of its existence.

"It's time."
Cloud Drop said imprecisely.

Star Yield gave a quizzical look.

"You don't have to be so indirect, we're in my office, you know."

"It's time for us to make our move, Celestia has been called to a meeting in Stalliongrad and leaves tomorrow."
Cloud Drop responded, his words causing an evil smile to dawn on the stallion's face.

"Good... but I need to know more, flight paths, departure times, and pilot roster. If we're going to shoot her helicopter down we need to make it look like an accident."
Star spoke, rotating himself in his chair.

The simple act of saying the word "Helicopter" was awkward. The helicopter has been a recent invention, around 20 years ago the first ones powered by hoof or with a small steam engine had their first flights as mere demonstration pieces. Upon realizing the potential, ponies began making them bigger to allow applications in areas other than fun. Newer versions, including ones used by the Royal Guard and other Military organizations across Equestria, had radial piston engines. These engines were bulky, heavy, and guzzled fuel. The main fault in the H-34s operated by the Royal Guard was its underpowered engine.

This H-34, designed by the Stalliongradian based Glass Wing Design Bureau, was the most popular aircraft in current days, but it wasn't the best. The reason this aircraft was so popular was the simplicity of its design and its ease of maintenance. Second to the H-34 was the SN-32, a machine slightly smaller and vastly more complex than its contemporary; which in some ways contributed to its less popular status. Instead of choosing the typical (for the time) main rotor and tail rotor design, the Stas Design Bureau had adorned their SN-32 with two main rotors stacked upon each other. The two rotors spun in opposite directions; this removed the need for a tail rotor as the torque was canceled by default. Along with the 2 rotors, it had 2 engines; however, they were not piston-driven. The SN-32 had an intriguing power plant of a very new propulsion system; the gas-turbine engine. These new engines had greater thrust-to-weight ratios, were smaller, and had much greater efficiency. The fact that the SN-32 wasn't more popular drove the Stas Bureau's lead designers to near madness.

Upon mention of these two remarkable machines, it should be said that they are not the only ones in existence, and these two competing Design Bureau's are not the only in existence, either. Over the 20 years of rapid development, many Design Bureau's and their machines have come and gone, but only a few made it through the tests of the world and into mass production, like the SN-32 and the H-34.

"I'm aware, I was informed only an hour ago, I still need to go over the details with Celestia. As for the accident part, that's well in hand. This blizzard will act as a sort of scapegoat for the one that will be, quote unquote, taking down Celestia. Our Brothers and Sisters in Cloudsdale made this blizzard too big, causing it to be unstable, which would make it look as if the blizzard stuck around long enough to cause problems for a certain flight."
Cloud Drop explained, visibly proud of his work.

"Perfect. I know that Celestia's little pet-project; Twilight Sparkle, will think more of this incident. Once we have Celestia in our control I want you to make sure she and her friends don't get too nosy."

"Understood."

Star Yield walked to the fireplace and levitated a small shard of blue metal from the mantle, the bit of metal being the shard from Nightmare Moon's armor that had started everything.

"I've been waiting for this ever since Celestia ordered me to study this shard. The Lunar eclipse will be a month from now... which is sort of a problem."
Star Yield said as he investigated the shard of metal in his magic.

The Solar Eclipse is not only the Moon passing in front of the Sun but was also single point in time where Celestia's magical ties with her celestial body and the earth around her became weaker, conversely; Luna's (and therefore Nightmare Moon's) magical ties gained strength. The method of transforming Celestia into Nightmare Moon simply using shards of her remains is a task Star Yield had perfected over the course of 4 years. When Celestia had first assigned him the task of examining the magic contained in the shards, it seemed like the powerful, almost evil, magic had spoken to him. The voice of Nightmare Moon had told him the error of his ways, told him to rally against the sun, to form the base of a new era beneath the Moon's glory.

"What's the problem with the eclipse being far off?"
Cloud Drop asked.

"It's a little TOO far away. I know first hoof that Celestia is very powerful, physically and magically. The longer we keep her, the longer we have to worry about her escaping, which is why we'll be... Incapacitating her, until the eclipse."

"If we hurt her too much, wouldn't it harm Nightmare Moon when we finish the transformation?"
Cloud Drop asked.

"Our Mother of the Night's magic is powerful enough to reverse any harm we do to Celestia's body, I've tested it."

Cloud Drop refrained from asking HOW he tested that her magic would repair wounds.

"Besides, it's necessary that we weaken her, mentally and physically. By the time the Lunar eclipse takes place she will wish she was dead."
Star Yield snarled as he set the shard back down on the fireplace.

"Alright, well, I'll return when I get more information on where she'll be flying."
Cloud Drop said as he walked towards the door.

"Make sure you keep Twilight Sparkle away from this. We don't need to worry about her once Nightmare Moon has been returned."
Star Yield called as Cloud Drop exited from his office.

After a nearly twenty minute flight, Cloud Drop landed at the front gates of the Castle, the two half-frozen Guards opening the ice-covered gates, allowing him inside the walls. Then, he continued to the second pair of doors, the doors to the Throne room. Once he entered, Cloud's eye immediately met with Princess Celestia's, who was sitting upon her throne.

"Where did you run off to?"
She asked, standing up to greet him.

"Some business with Star Yield... he's been working on a new spell and needed some help."
Cloud Drop lied.

"Oh, how has Starry been? I haven't talked to him in more than a month now."
Celestia said, using a nickname Star Yield hated almost as much as her.

The two began walking out of the throne room and down the hall.

"He's well. We need to talk about the details of your trip. I was going to after... Andrei showed up, but you left with Princess Luna."
Cloud began, forgetting the name of the messenger that had been at the castle only several hours ago.

"Apologies for keeping you waiting. I've been busy lately."
Celestia said as she continued walking down the tall hallway of the Castle.

"I've noticed."
Cloud commented.

Celestia opened the doors to her personal room with a spell, the large double doors creaking from age as they opened. The inside of her room was as beautiful as Princess Luna's and of a similar theme. The main room had three doors going out from it, One leading to her office, the second leading to her bedroom, and the third leading to the Kitchen and Living room. Though the room was rather basic, it had all of the same beauty of the castle. There was a portrait of Celestia and Luna sitting together next to the bedroom door. Adjacent from that was a tapestry, the background solid white with bright yellow trim, and at the Center was Celestia's Cutie Mark, the sun. Princess Celestia opened the door to her office, stepping inside, Cloud Drop following. Celestia sat down in her large office chair, Cloud taking a seat in a chair of similar size.

"Alright, let's work out the details."
Celestia said as she cleared some space on her desk, taking out a notebook, quill, and ink.

After nearly thirty minutes of talking (five of which were devoted to discussing the details of her flight to Stalliongrad), Cloud Drop said his goodbyes and left the Princess's room, a folded piece of notebook paper tucked under his wing. Once Cloud had made his way to the Guard Wing of the castle, he handed the paper off to the Air Guard Captain, giving him all the details of when, where, and how the Princess would be getting to Stalliongrad. After having a flight path drawn out on a small map, Cloud Drop took a copy of the notebook paper he handed the Captain, along with the map, and made the long flight back to Canterlot, giving the papers to Star Yield. By the time he had finished running halfway across Equestria the Sun had started to go down, the low orange glow of the evening warming the castle and giving it's residents a break from the blizzard that had finally blown over. Feeling tired, hungry, and thirsty, Cloud left the Guard Wing and walked to the North Wing Dining hall. The North Wing was where most of the Guest rooms were located, along with the Guest Dining hall. He had picked up the idea of eating with the ponies who stayed in the castle for fun from Princess Luna, who did it often. As she had said, 'It is funny to act like you are normal.', and it was.

As he entered through the enormous doors of the hall, only a few ponies looked up, mainly noticing the sound of his unique armor clanking as he entered. The ponies who did look up did not immediately divert their attention back to their meals, but continued to study the strange Military Officer that had entered. He found a seat near the end of the table, sitting next to a well-dressed mare, her dark red mane blocking most of her face from him. Once she looked over, her face held a surprised and fearful expression, her eyes darting around on his face as she noticed his scar and eye patch. Cloud simply smiled to her as he continued eating his dinner, the mare giving a nervous and confused smile in response. After finishing his meal, Cloud exited the Dining hall and headed for the main gates of the Castle. Once he had left it was already dark, the moon starting to peek over the snow-covered mountains to the west.

Upon entering his small, one-story home near the edge of Ponyville, Cloud set his armor near the door, brushing any remaining snow off himself and built a fire in a small iron furnace, keeping the glass door open to heat up the room. After getting the fire to a nice roar, Cloud went into the kitchen and got a glass from the cabinet with his mouth, carefully setting it on the counter. He opened the fridge, pulling out a half-empty bottle of Whiskey, the same kind he had been drinking early that morning. After pouring a glass, he turned on the radio, sat down in a single arm-chair in front of the furnace and fell asleep.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 3: Lowering the Sun

"Your Highness, it's almost 5 o'clock," A male voice spoke, causing Celestia to turn around.

At the entrance of her personal office stood Admiral Cloud Drop's rigid figure.

"Already time to leave? Give me a moment to organize my effects, Admiral." Returned the Alicorn as her horn came to life, every object on her large, bright white desk being taken by her aurora and returned to their respective places.

With her desk put back to a state of order, Celestia put on her thick, white, puffy winter coat, the article rendering her wings completely useless. Now dressed; her black luggage bag was taken up by a spell, and she and Cloud Drop disembarked from her private quarters as they began making their way down the corridors to the Eastern Wing of the castle. The Aerodrome, as it was called, was located next to the North Wing, and had been the most recent addition to the castle, as well as the most expensive; plenty of bits had been poured into making the Canterlot Aerodrome into something as grand as the castle it stood near. When the duo reached the North Wing of the castle the two ran into Princess Luna, who looked out of breath.

"Ah! There... you are. I have... been looking for you, sister!" The young Alicorn exclaimed breathlessly.

"Didn't you think to check my room before darting around the castle?" Celestia responded playfully.

"I was on my way there now, but it seems that my attempt to make it there was fruitless. You are preparing to leave now, yes?"

"Yep. The Admiral and I are on the way to the Aerodrome as we speak."

"Good! I can accompany you on the way there!" Luna responded as she joined Celestia and Cloud Drop on their trip.

After reaching the check-in room of the Aerodrome Celestia was filled in on the flight path and arrival time. The trio walked from the check-in room to the tarmac of the Aerodrome, on one of the landing pads was a light-grey helicopter, the ground crews still preparing it for take-off. The helicopter was the latest aircraft available, despite being primitive in its existence. It had a large, rounded nose that housed the radial engine, the cockpit located above and behind it.

The cabin of the machine was a good size for most ponies, but Celestia, being nearly two times taller than those around her, found the cabin to be cramped. Adorning the exterior of the aircraft were two sets of markings; on the tail-boom were the words "Royal Air Guard" and on the back behind the cabin was a white outline of a shield, the center of the shape filled in with a white sun mimicking Celestia's cutie mark. One of the several ponies standing beside the aircraft made his way to greet the three as they approached, his figure bulked by an Olive Drab flight suit and a white helmet.

"We're nearly ready for take-off, your Highness, the guys are doing the last refueling and pre-flight checks now. You can put your luggage in now if you like," Spoke the pilot, his breath visible in the cold air.

Celestia, followed by the Pilot, Cloud Drop, and Luna, walked to the helicopter. She opened the sliding door of the cabin, setting her bag inside and positioning it behind one of the foldable seats inside using her magic.

"We're done fueling 'er up, you're good to go!" One of the ground crew yelled as a second pony pulled the refueling cart away, the smell of fuel still hanging in the air.

"Roger that, time to fly." The Pilot responded as he climbed past Celestia into the cabin, stepping up the firewall and into the cockpit. A second pilot, who had been sitting in the seat next to him, turned around in his chair. None of the three had noticed him before that point.

"Standard procedure, your Highness; headsets' hanging right there next to the door." He informed Celestia as she fit herself into the tight cabin, her front hooves between her haunches as she sat herself in one of the fold-down cloth and aluminum frame chairs.

Celestia took the headset with her magic, putting it on and adjusting the mic so that it was in front of her mouth. There was a loud boom followed by the sound of the piston engine turning, the engine slowly being brought to idle throttle.

"Love you 'tia! I wish you a most enjoyable flight!" Luna shouted as she and Cloud Drop stepped away from the helicopter as it's rotors began to turn.

"I wish the same! I love you, too! See you in about a week!" Celestia returned as she closed the sliding door of the cabin.

The rotors of the machine slowly began to speed up, the sound of the blades ripping through the air beginning to overpower the sound of the piston engine. Once the rotors were at full speed, the helicopter slowly lifted off the ground, a mist of white powder kicking up as the beast lifted away from the landing pad. After hovering for a moment, the helicopter made a 90-degree turn, slowly flying towards the runway. Once it was over the runway, the nose of the helicopter dropped as it began to fly away, the blaring sound of the rotors fading as it flew.

"In all my years of life, I had never thought that we would fly without wings," Said Luna with a smile on her face.

Cloud Drop didn't offer a response.

Celestia watched out the rectangular window of the helicopter as the castle got further and further away. After getting to a sufficient altitude, the helicopter banked to the left, the sounds of the rotors changing as it turned. After completing an 180-degree turn, the helicopter continued over the castle and towards Canterlot City.

"Sunshine 1, you are clear of the grid, full stop. Stay on current channel until advised," A static-laden female voice said over Celestia's headset.

"Copy that, tower," One of the pilots returned.

Celestia shifted in her chair, trying to get more comfortable in the small cabin. In order to keep her horn from poking a hole in the cloth liner of the ceiling, her head had to be kept in a slightly craned position. Normally, by time the helicopter had reached cruising altitude, Celestia would sit on the floor of the aircraft atop a blanket held in her luggage as opposed to the chair. If not, her neck would be absolutely shot after the long flight.

"How much longer are we going to be in the air?" Celestia asked.

She saw one of the pilots pick up a clipboard off the floor with his magic.

"Uhh, next stop we make is in three hours, your Majesty, but that depends on the weather," Said the pilot on the left.

Celestia let out an annoyed groan that the pilots heard other their headsets.

"Don't like flying?" One of them asked.

"No, the smell of the fuel gives me a headache, and I get dizzy if I look out the window too long." Celestia whined, causing both of the pilots to laugh.

"There's barf-bags tucked under the seat to your left," The pilot on the right joked.

She looked over at one of the chairs, seeing a small stack of pale blue wax bags tucked under the chair cushion. She was sort of glad they were there.

"So, an Alicorn who's lived for a thousand years and who has defeated numerous enemies can't handle a 4-hour helicopter flight. Don't worry, once you spend about 50 hours in these things you get used to the smell and the motion sickness," The pilot on the left said.

His comment initially struck Celestia as strange. She had never had any of her Guards joke around as much as the two pilots did. It seemed like the pilots were an entirely different breed of pony.

"Well, I've got a lot more flights ahead because of this whole thing with Stalliongrad, so I might just get those 50 hours quicker than I otherwise would," She said, looking back out the window, watching the snow covered trees pass below.

It was interesting to be completely stationary but have to world move below you. Celestia had gotten used to flying in carriages, but they were slower, quieter and open-cabbed. The one thing that amused her was that looking out the window never got old. Celestia lay her head back, closing her eyes. The world blurred into nothing but sound as she relaxed, the whir of the rotor blades and the engine fading as she mentally tuned them out, only being able to hear the chat between the two pilots.

Celestia was brought from her slumber by the loud *ca-chunk* of the helicopter door sliding opened, her eyes searching the dimly lit cabin, as the only source of light was a small, yellow light above the helicopter's door. With what little light there was, Celestia had been able to see one of the Pilots climb from the cabin and out into the cold darkness beyond the still running aircraft, she assumed they had stopped at one of the fuel-port in order to refuel.

"Where are we?" Celestia asked groggily over the helicopter's internal intercom.

"We're just past the city of Manehattan," The remaining Pilot spoke, sounding a little tired himself.

A few red lights outside the helicopter flickered on, providing enough light for Celestia to see outside; the Pilot that had disembarked was found stood near a control panel mounted to a large fuel storage tank.

"So, we've only been flying for three hours, right?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, we still got a lot of ground to cover."

Celestia groaned, rubbing her face with her hooves as she tried to wake herself up. Over the noise of the helicopter she had been able to hear the Pilot connect the refueling hose, she looked back out the door to see him walk away from the helicopter and back towards the control panel.

After a while's waiting, the Pilot finally pulled a lever on the control panel and walked back towards the helicopter, moments later a similar click came from the side of the helicopter as the fuel hose was disconnected, and the Pilot stepped back inside the cabin, shutting and locking the door behind himself, the yellow light above the door shutting off the second he closed the door, the very dim red glow of the instrument panel now being the only light source. The Pilot gave Celestia a friendly smile as he passed on his way to the cockpit.

"Sorry to have woken you with the door, your Majesty," The Pilot who had refueled the aircraft spoke once he got himself back seated in the cockpit with his helmet back on.

"It's alright, I'm not going to get much sleep on this flight, anyway."

Celestia watched as the two Pilots did some final checks, their hooves tapping each gauge as they checked all of the helicopter's systems.

"Alright, we're all good."

With those words, the engine began revving back up as the rotors spun faster, the helicopter slowly lifting from the ground as it gradually gained forward speed.

"You know, I still don't know either of your names," Celestia said.

"2nd Lieutenant Night Flight, at your service, your Majesty." Informed the right Pilot.

"Captain Silver Wing, at your service." Added the co-Pilot.

"Its a pleasure to finally know your names, and my name is Princess Celestia." She spoke jokingly, both Pilots chuckling lightly from her humor.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Celestia. What do you do for a living?" Night Flight joked in return.

"I'm the Ruler of Equestria, it's a pretty boring job."

"Sounds like it." Silver Wing added.

The three had a laugh, the conversation coming to an end for the most part.

"I'm going to try going back to sleep... if you two don't mind."

"We'll be fine, Night and I were going to play tic-tac-toe anyway," Silver Wing responded.

"What? How are you two going to play tic-tac-toe?"

Moments after Celestia spoke, Night Flight held up a small, rectangular whiteboard and marker in his magic. Celestia couldn't help but to laugh at the two Pilots.

"Well, enjoy yourselves!"

The pattern of flying, landing, refueling, and taking back off repeated three more times, each time had woken Celestia from her sleep. By now, she was wide awake; peering from her window at the early dawn landscape as it traveled past. The helicopter had been flying for around 16 hours, but the flight had still not crossed the Stalliongradian border, meaning there was still quite a ways to go. With being awake, Celestia was able to hear the small talk between the two pilots, their conversations bringing quite a lot of enjoyment to Celestia.

"I think we should bring chess next time, tic-tac-toe gets old," Night Flight spoke.

"How would we manage chess? The pieces would go everywhere," Silver Wing noted.

"Yeah... I suppose you're right. Ah, wait! What if we built our own, airborne chess board! The board could have metal in it, and we could put magnates in the base of each piece!" Night rebutted excitedly.

"That could work. Oh... huh, what is that down there?" Silver asked, sitting up in his seat to see over the nose of the aircraft.

"I think there's a pony down there in that clearing, it looks like there's a--"

"You hear that?" Asked a Stallion, his ears perking up at the sound of a certain helicopter.

"Sounds like our prize is approaching, right on time too." A second stallion said.

Star Yield exited from the back of a camouflaged wagon, he was wearing a thick green coat and a fuzzy hat.

"They're going to fly right over the top of us, get into position!" He shouted, one of the stallions running over to a small clearing near the wagon.

Star Yield had planned it perfectly. The helicopter would fly right overhead, giving the unicorn in the clearing a perfect shot at it. The plan was to have the unicorn, Golden Leaf, (whose coat was a golden color, naturally) shoot the pilot out of the helicopter using a powerful and accurate spell that both he and Star Yield perfected.

After the helicopter was damaged by the shot, and the first pilot killed, then it would make a crash landing in a field close by. Once it had landed, Star Yield and his force of around twenty Brothers and Sisters would come in and "retrieve" Celestia. The helicopter was now visible, the red, green, and white 'navigation lights', as they were called, showing the aircraft's position in the sky.

"Alright, concentrate, you've only got one shot at this." Star Yield said to Golden Leaf.

"Thanks, I didn't have enough pressure on me." He replied.

Right as the helicopter was at a 45-degree angle from Golden Leaf, his horn quickly lit up, lightning arcing from his horn to the ground. A split second later, a short bolt of pure white energy shot from his horn, flying towards the helicopter. The bolt passed through the top right part of the engine cowling, piercing through the cockpit glass, and proceeding on through the roof and the main rotor shaft. After being hit, the helicopter wobbled in the sky, the sound of the rotor changing as well.

"That could work. Oh, huh, what is that down there?" Silver asked, sitting up in his chair to see over the nose of the aircraft.

"I think there's a pony down there in that clearing, it looks like there's a--"

Celestia saw a flash of light, a red mist becoming airborne right after the flash. The helicopter shook and vibrated, the sounds of the engine and rotors changing completely. She noticed a thick, red liquid flowing down the side of Night Flight's chair, she looked up and saw the large hole in the back of his helmet, blood dripping from it.

"What in the name of Equestria!? I think that pony down there shot us! Check our oil pressure and make a mayday call, I don-" Silver Wing's sentence was cut short as he looked over at the limp body of his friend, Night Flight's front legs dangling loosely at his side.

"I'm gonna have to land in that field, okay? We can't keep flying with this kind of damage," Silver said over the intercom, his voice noticeably shaky.

Fear shot through Celestia, along with thousands of thoughts that her mind struggled to compute what she was experiencing. The engine's damaged rumble suddenly died off completely, the chop of the rotors being the only sound to behold.

"Hold on to something, the engine's failed!" The pilot yelled.

Celestia pushed her hooves to the floor and ceiling, a few seconds later the helicopter hit the ground violently, the impact causing the rotor blades to flex downward and strike the tail boom, the loud crack of the impact shaking the helicopter. As the aircraft dug into the snowy earth it began leaning to the right, the rotor blades slamming into the ground and ripping apart as the helicopter fell on its side, Celestia falling from her seat to the right wall of the cabin.

The rotors ground themselves down to nothing as the engine slowly died down, it's whine followed with the clanking of broken metal. There was a loud explosion, and the smell of burning oil and fuel began to fill the cabin along with the loud beeping coming from the control panel. Celestia quickly tried to stand upright, but her front hoof slipped out from under her on a puddle of some sort. After leaning against the floor of the cabin, she saw the puddle was a pool of red liquid that was dripping from the back of the right pilot's head. She quickly turned her head around, tears starting to flow down her cheeks and her breath caught in her chest as it dawned on her just what had happened.

"Are you okay?!" Silver Wing yelled to Celestia as he began shutting off various systems of the aircraft, including the Master Warn which was causing the loud beeping.

"Y...Yes, I'm okay, I'm okay!" Celestia lied, her legs and chest were in pain and she was still shaken from both the impact and the sight of the first pilot's body.

"Mayday, mayday, this is Sunshine 1, we have been shot down near the Stalliongrad border!" The pilot yelled into his headset.

The only response was static.

"Your highness, you need to get out of here, that fire will reach the fuel tanks any second."

Without hesitating, Celestia climbed up to the door on the left side of the helicopter and pulled a large red lever marked "Emergency", the lever causing several small explosive bolts to blow the door free of the helicopter. After climbing out she looked at the wreckage of the aircraft, the tail-boom was nearly snapped in half, and the main rotor was completely gone and the flames coming from under the engine cowling had started to make their way beneath the aircraft and towards the fuel tank.

She noticed a large group of ponies running out of the tree-line only around 40 meters from the crash. Celestia felt her breath catch in her chest as she realized they weren't coming to help. After pulling herself out of the wreckage completely, Celestia jumped down to the snowy ground and broke into a full gallop, running the opposite direction of the group running towards her.

It occurred to her that she wouldn't be able to escape the ponies that shot her down on her hooves, so she began to take off her white coat, tripping and falling as she struggled to get the coat off and free her wings. Celestia looked over at the helicopter just in time to see the pilot that survived climb out of the left side cabin door, just as he was about to jump down off the wreckage the flames reached the fuel tank. A huge explosion ripped through the aircraft, sending a volley of broken metal shrapnel into the sky. A thick plume of smoke and fire began rising into the dusky sky.

Celestia screamed as she watched in horror, her heart sinking in her chest.

After fully removing her coat Celestia leaped into the sky, giving strong wing strokes to gain altitude. Celestia turned herself around to observe the group of ponies below her, she saw as one of them stopped running. There was a flash of light and a sudden excruciating, burning pain in her left wing.

Celestia let out a scream as she tumbled from the sky, seconds later her body impacted the cold ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her, leaving her to lay motionless and breathless in the snow. Celestia's vision was soon filled with Star Yield's face, his eyes held the same pale blue glow and slit iris appearance as Nightmare Moon. Celestia wanted to speak, but the lack of air in her lungs only allowed her to make a small wheezing sound. Star Yield brought up his hoof, hitting Celestia right between the eyes, the brute force of the impact knocking her unconscious.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 5: Pained Hearts

Princess Luna slowly woke up, her eyes fluttering open. All of the emotional pain came flowing back; it felt as if someone had driven a knife into her heart. After looking around a bit, She realized that it was still dark, most days when she woke up there was still a little bit of light shining in from the setting sun. She looked over at a silver alarm clock next to her bed, the time was 1:34. Had she slept through an entire day? Luna pushed herself out of her bed.

She was extremely confused, she didn't know what day it was or how long she had been asleep. She walked out of her room, neglecting to put on her shoes, breast plate and crown. She expected to see the halls of the castle completely quiet, but they were the exact opposite. Once she stepped out, the sound of voices and hoof steps filled her ears. Luna slowly walked down the hall, looking at all of the things that reminded her of Celestia.

She wanted to tear down all of the paintings, knock over all of the statues, break out all of the windows, everything she looked at reminded her of somepony she wanted to still be alive. Anger and sorrow filled her body as she walked, her teeth clenching and eyes tearing up as the emotions took over her thoughts. She heard somepony call her name, when she turned around her teary eyes met with those of Cloud Drop's. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. The Princess's eyes were bloodshot and baggy, her unkempt mane and tail only adding to her drowsy and emotionally drained appearance.

"Everywhere I look. It's her. E-everywhere I look!"

"I know... You should go back to your quarters, your Highness." Cloud said in a soft tone.

"What would be the use?! I-I do not wish to remain cooped up all night!" She responded, turning away and continuing on her path.

"It's not night time, your Highness..."

Luna stopped in her path, turning back around.

"W-What do you mean? I checked the time when I embarked from my quarters, the time was 1:34." Luna sniffled.

"It's 1:41 in the afternoon, your Highness." Cloud said as he lifted up his left front leg, looking at the face of his golden watch.

Luna's eyes widened, a terrible truth dawning on her.

"I-I do not want to admit this, but I cannot raise the sun. S-Sister never taught me how!"

Luna began to panic.

"W-what if all of the citizens believe I have caused this... and believe that I am turning back into Nightmare Moon?! What i-if they storm the castle and... and try to...!"

"Princess Luna, calm down. No pony is going to hurt you as long as my heart is beating." Cloud Drop said, trying to calm Luna down.

"I... I do not know what is happening anymore! I-I am so scared... a-and... I... I just want Celestia back!" Luna cried out, all of her emotions finally breaking out as she collapsed on the cold tile floor, tears rolling down her cheeks.

The ambient sounds of the castle were drowned out by the wails of the torn Princess, any pony that had been walking through the halls close by stopped and listened, their hearts sinking from the sound. Cloud Drop knelt down in front of Luna, lifting up her head with his hoof.

"You need to be strong, for yourself and for all of us, understand? Celestia wouldn't want this for you. She would want you to be happy, and that is what you'll do, okay?"

Luna nodded, sniffling and wiping tears from her cheeks. Cloud Drop stood up, helping Luna back onto her own four hooves.

"Thank you... I-I just---"

"Although I will never understand what you feel right now, I do know how to deal with the pain of loss, and the best way is to forget about it. I'm not saying that you should forget about Celestia, I'm saying that you should stop beating yourself up about this whole thing."

Luna nodded once more, a forced smile working its way into her face.

"Well... I am hungry. Is lunch being served right now?"

"Yes. I could go for a sandwich or something." Cloud said, walking down the hallway.

Luna caught up to him, traveling beside the Admiral as the two made their way down the hall. She tried not to look at the things on the walls, she found the best option was to look either directly ahead, look at the floor, or just look at the various staff members as they passed. Normally when she passed others in the halls they smiled, said hello, waved; the usual. Instead, they gave her sad looks, even though she had a semi-happy expression, they all knew she was in pain on the inside.

Luna and Cloud walked into the dining hall at which lunch was being served, most of the chairs were filled by Guards on their lunch break, a few other chairs were taken by random employees around the castle. When the two entered, nearly every eye was on Luna, they all looked as if they wanted to say sorry for what had happened. After a moment of searching, Cloud found two empty chairs, pulling Luna's chair out first, letting her sit down before he did. Luna levitated several items of food, along with a plate, over to herself, silently beginning her meal.

"Excuse me, your Majesty, do you mind if I ask a question?" A female voice asked, causing Luna to look up from her meal.

"What do you require?"

"I-I hope you don't mind me asking, but why is the sun not up?" The turquoise colored mare asked.

"I cannot raise the sun. Celestia never taught me how to." Luna responded, looking back down at her meal as she levitated a bite of fried potato squares into her mouth.

"How long would it take to... uh, learn?" The mare asked.

"Weeks. It is not an easy task, you do not simply learn how to raise a celestial body, you have to build a sort of mental and magical bond with it first. It's complicated, but it is a task that can be accomplished." She explained.

The mare simply nodded, signifying she understood.

Luna looked over at Cloud Drop, who was sipping on a glass of dark liquid, after he finished drinking he returned Luna's gaze. Cloud Drop felt the glass of whiskey float out of his hoof, the glass was being held in a blue, magical aurora. The glass floated over to Luna, who proceeded to bring the rim of the glass to her mouth, taking several hard gulps as she finished the entire glass. After wincing from the strong, overpowering taste of the liquor Luna floated the empty glass back to Cloud Drop's hoof.

"I needed that." Luna said quietly, slouching back over her meal, not noticing that several other ponies were looking at her with amazement.

"Good thing I have a backup." She heard Cloud say, making her look up.

Cloud lifted up one of his dark grey wings, reaching under and taking a shiny, polished flask out from a fabric holster. He unscrewed the lid with his hoof, lifting the flask up to the glass with his mouth and began pouring a new glass. He held the half-full glass of whiskey up to Luna.

"I'm not sure you need it, but it helps. Just do us all a favor and don't make it a habit."

Luna gave a small smile, levitating the glass from his hoof and drinking half of the liquid inside the glass, setting it down on the table as she let out a gasp from the strong taste.

"Celestia would kill me if she saw me giving you whiskey." Cloud chuckled.

Luna responded by taking the glass of the table with her magic and taking another drink, finishing off the glass. She set the empty glass back down on the table, Cloud reached over and slid the glass back to himself. Luna looked up from her meal momentarily, seeing several guards looking at her. The look she gave the several guards had not been intended to be dis-meaning, but the dark circles under her eyes and the unhappy look her face held made her seem as if she would rather have the several guards thrown off a bridge than sit next to her. After finishing her meal, Luna stood up from her seat at the large table, Cloud Drop quickly finishing his sandwich as he hurried to catch up to the Princess who had already left the room.

"Lunch time is over, time to do some work." Luna spoke upon the Admiral linking back up with her.

"What do you mean?"

"Tomorrow I want a full staff meeting, we must go over items of importance with our lowers, and I want you to have messengers sent forth to all nearby cities and towns. The citizens must be informed that I cannot raise the sun because I simply do not have the ability to."

Cloud Drop made mental notes.

"When do you want the meeting to be scheduled, and when should we send out messengers?"

"I wish to have the meeting at 3:00 o'clock, PM of course. As for the messengers, have them leave as soon as possible." Luna concluded, stopping in front of two large doors.

The doors she stopped at were a pair of doors she wished to not enter, they led inside of Celestia's personal room.

"Don't tell me you're going to go in there." Cloud Drop said.

"The reason she could never spend time with me was because of her work, and for that reason, I assume it is important." Luna explained as she opened the doors with her magic, stepping inside along with Cloud Drop.

She paused after stepping inside, she took a deep breath as she tried to not look at any of the pictures of her sister that hung on the wall, and failed. Luna felt herself begin to tear up, as she did she quickly diverted her eyes from the things on the walls and walked to the irregularly tall door of Celestia's office. She swung the door open, walking inside and over to her sister's desk, levitating several piles of papers and scrolls off of the large, dark wood desk.

After lifting said piles up, Luna's eye caught the sight of a blue, laminated cylinder of paper on the desk. It was the blueprints for Cloud Drop's new home Celestia had been planning to build for him. After levitating the blueprint up along with the rest of the papers, Luna turned around and exited the room, her vision blurry from tears. After they had left the room Cloud Drop had heard a small sniffle come from Luna, causing him to look over at her,

"Are you okay?"

"No," Luna responded, sniffling again, "I do not ever wish to go back in there."

Cloud Drop felt his heart sink. He knew he was doing the right thing by assisting in the re-birth of Nightmare Moon, but it didn't feel right. The Aura that Star Yield had bestowed upon him had seated a deep hatred for Celestia in him, but over the years it seemed to diminish. Star Yield had noted that Cloud Drop barely ever 'wore' his eye in the same fashion as Nightmare Moon's and the rest of their Brothers and Sisters.

Star had asked if Cloud wanted him to restore the Aura, but Cloud Drop ultimately declined and denied he was having problems. He began to wonder if any of the other Brothers and Sisters of the New Order had the same issue. He also began wondering if he had known Celestia for so long and had such a deep friendship with her that his mind had begun to break down the Aura.

"You may proceed on your own path now, Admiral. I would prefer to be alone for the moment anyway." Luna said, snapping Cloud out of his train of thought.

"R-right... do you want me to have the messengers leave now?"

"Yes, if you would, please. The last thing I want and need is an angry mob forming because the sun has not risen."

Luna's words further re-enforced the guilt that had built up inside him. Without saying anything else, Cloud Drop turned down the nearest corridor, heading off on his business. Luna continued on her way back to her private quarters. Upon reaching her room, Luna set all of the papers on and around her desk, sitting down as she took the top-most paper off the top of the stack with her magic. Although Celestia had not taught her to raise the sun, she had taught her how to run a Kingdom. The paperwork was mostly approval forms for different things, tax raises and cuts, budget raises and cuts, permission for certain construction projects, permissions to pass laws or change laws, and occasionally, a friendly letter from a pony asking something.

She had gotten a few letters herself, and enjoyed getting mail from ponies. The paper she pulled from the stack was concerned with the dispute between Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom. It was sent by the Governor of a city in Germaney, a country that shared a border with both Stalliongrad and the much larger Gryphon Kingdom. Enrich Fenstermacher, said Governor, was concerned with the security of his city and his country, fearing that if things got worse between the Stalliongrads and the Gryphons his city and the ponies he served would be overrun, seeing that his city was part of a trade route that led from the Gryphon Kingdom to Stalliongrad and abroad. He requested permission to up military activity along the border, and for troops from Equestria to aid if things got worse.

After responding to nearly 30 seemingly pressing matters, Luna set her quill down on her desk, resting her magic. She looked at the clock on the wall above her desk, it was 5:34 o'clock. She pushed her chair away from her desk, standing up and walking into her living room. After building a fire in the fireplace, she got a glass of water from her kitchen, sitting down in one of the two large reading chairs in the room that surrounded the fireplace. Moments after sitting down, there was a knock at her door.

"Enter!" Luna called, having a sort of flashback of when she got the news her sister had passed.

The doors of her room opened, Cloud Drop stepping inside and walking into the living room with her.

"I've gotten the meeting scheduled for tomorrow, as for the messengers... I think we may have a problem on our hooves. nearly all of them said that the ponies were either angry or scared, most of them fearing that they would run out of food and firewood because of the extreme cold."

Luna sat back in her chair.

"I suppose I am just now realizing that the temperature has decreased significantly enough to warrant the need to have a fire lit nearly all of the time. If a town or city requests it, we must send relief efforts to those who need it, until then, I am declaring a state of emergency, have the messengers go back out and tell the ponies to stay in their homes, wear warm clothing and be resourceful with their food, water, and heating supplies." Luna said.

"I'll have them go back out. I doubt they'll be happy." Cloud joked.

Cloud Drop walked out of Luna's room, the door shutting quietly as he exited. The room was silent, other than the quiet popping of the log in the fireplace. Luna let out a sigh, resting her head on her hoof as she stared blankly into the fire.

The wooden door at the top of the dark staircase opened, light flooding into the pitch black cell. Three ponies walked out of the doorway after the door closed the room returned to its dark state. Celestia could still see the dim, blue glow of the three ponies eyes. The first pony opened the cell door, holding it open for the other two. There was a click as Celestia's eyes were filled with a shining beam of contrast, her hoof's attempt at shielding her eyes ruined by the chains binding her to the wall. Her eyes eventually adjusted to the light, the white-coated stallion in the middle was holding a plate and glass of water with his magic.

"W-what is that?" Celestia asked.

"What do you think it is? It's your dinner." The stallion said, setting the plate and glass down in front of Celestia.

The plate had 2 slices of bread, a pile of rice and a pile of greens that was supposed to be a salad.

"Kind of hard for me to eat while I'm restrained." Celestia said with an annoyed tone in her voice.

The white stallion's horn glowed momentarily as the neck and leg braces snapped off, allowing Celestia to stand freely in front of the group. She reluctantly looked at the 'food' in front of her. Celestia's eyes darted from pony to pony, surveying their faces. She began to wonder just how easy, or hard, it would be to escape from the three ponies.

"Maybe you should start eating." The white stallion said malevolently, lifting up his left hoof as a knife blade slid from behind his metal shoe.

The shoe he wore was one of a standard issue in the Royal Guard. It appeared to be a normal, golden metal shoe, but at the rear was an 8-inch blade, which was activated by pushing down hard enough to disengage the lock. The shoes had rather strong locks, a sort of safety measure so the blade would not deploy when walking. Celestia knelt down, picking up the plate with her hooves.

"Are you going to stare at me while I eat?" She asked.

"If it makes you uncomfortable, yes."

Celestia groaned, lifting the plate to her mouth and taking a bite out of the pile of over-cooked rice, trying to stomach the substance.

"You're going to be eating that for the next month, so I suggest you get used to it." The Stallion with the glasses said, noticing her disgust in the food.

She took another bite of rice, picking up one of the slices of bread with her hooves, taking a bite of the bread along with the rice. The bread accomplished the task of masking the flavor of the horrible rice, making it slightly tolerable. Celestia's mind raced through her options as she silently ate her meal, she had defeated numerous foes, how hard could it be to take out three insane stallions?

After taking one last bite of bread and a drink of water, Celestia quickly lunged at the white stallion in the middle, tackling him to the ground. She pinned him down with her front hooves, but before she could get a blow in the white stallion struck her left side, causing her to momentarily lose situational awareness. The stallion she pinned down drove his blade into the joint where her left front leg met her upper body. Celestia shrilled in pain, her leg giving out as she fell on top of the stallion that had stabbed her.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the pain as the stallion forcefully pushed her off of himself and stood up, tightly gripping her neck with his magic as he pulled her across the floor and towards the cell door, a trail of blood leading from where she had fallen to the deep wound near her leg. He lifted Celestia's front left leg up with his magic, placing it between two bars of the cell door, all the while Celestia screamed and cried from the agonizing pain.

"Get me some tape so we can shut her up!" The white stallion yelled, the pony with the glasses ran out of the cell, seconds later returning with a roll of duct tape in his mouth.

The white stallion took the tape with his magic, peeling the tape back and wrapping a band around Celestia's mouth, muffling her cries and screams. Celestia was able to struggle free for a moment, freeing her left leg from the bars, her freedom lasted mere seconds before the white stallion jerked her leg back between the bars, causing her to scream out once more.

"You gonna try any more stupid things?" He yelled, putting his hoof on the side of Celestia's head and slamming it into the bars of the door.

Muffled screams came past the tape around Celestia's mouth, her head shaking frantically and tears dripping down her cheeks.

The white stallion stepped to the other side of the door with the pony in the glasses, commanding him to hold Celestia's leg still. She tried to pull her leg back through the bars, fearing what the white stallion was going to do, but the stallion's magic held strong. The white stallion flipped himself around, rearing up on his front legs as he landed a brutally hard kick on Celestia's leg, the impact shattering the bone in the lower half of her already bloody leg.

Celestia let out a muffled scream of pain, her breathing beginning to drop off as she went into shock. The stallion with the glasses released her leg, Celestia quickly pulling herself away from the door, inching along the floor in a pathetic attempt to distance herself from the three stallions. Celestia's head fell to the floor, her entire body shaking with fear and pain, her mind unable to process the extreme, stinging pain from the broken bone combined with the stab wound. After struggling with the tape, Celestia was able to free it from her mouth, gasping for air as small cries and groans of pain escaped her lips.

"I don't think the notion of 'not trying to escape' is embedded in you well enough yet." The white stallion said as he stepped over to Celestia, causing her to scurry backwards until she was against the cold, stone wall of the cell.

"W-Waitwaitwait! P-Please!" Celestia stuttered, her harsh sobs slurring her words.

The white stallion restrained Celestia's front and back legs, lying her down on the floor against her will. He brought his blade back up, driving the blade nearly all the way through the large muscle at the top of her back left leg. Celestia let out an ear-piercing scream of pure pain and agony, her body thrashing as she tried to free herself from the white stallion's magic, his blade still inside her flesh.

"Do you want me to twist the blade?" He yelled, driving the knife a little deeper to inhibit more pain on his victim.

Celestia shook her head violently, unable to speak from shock. Moments later the stallion pulled his blade out of the hole in Celestia's flesh, causing her to cry and flinch from the pain of the knife exiting her leg. The white stallion stepped away from Celestia, turning and walking towards the cell door, picking up the plate and glass and turning off the small light on his way. The three stallions walked out of the cell, closing and locking the barred door, leaving the injured Princess to sob violently in the cold, pitch black room.

"Do you think that she'll bleed out?" The light blue stallion, who had not been part of the altercation said.

"I doubt it, there were no major blood vessels in the areas that I stabbed her. That was fun, don't you think?" The white stallion responded.

"Well, fun isn't how I would describe it." Mumbled the stallion with glasses.

"Do you not think she deserves this?" The light blue stallion said.

"I do, I just get light-headed around blood." He responded.

"You knew we'd be torturing her, why didn't you say you didn't want to be here?" The white stallion asked, wiping Celestia's dark red blood off of his knife, hoof and face with a small cloth.

"Well... it's not really the actual sight of the blood that makes me feel... queazy, it's the broken bones and... when you stab her I can see down in the wound and it... eeuhg. I don't like it."

"Who becomes a doctor if they don't like blood."

The white stallion walked away from the two and into the kitchen, getting into the cabinet and getting himself a glass of water. The kitchen was of small proportions and of basic construction. Wooden countertops, a stainless steel sink, off-white refrigerator, and a small range, the stove part only including 2 burners. There were several items of food left out, a box of quick-cook rice, the unwrapped bread loaf, and a pot still sitting on one of the burners of the range.

The rest of the house was more-or-less the same way; carpeted floors, wood panel walls covered in wallpaper, a few windows and only one bedroom and bathroom. The main room of the home, which served dual purpose as the living room and dining room, was furnished with 2 couches, a fireplace, coffee table and (partially hidden by the couch and in the corner) a lamp standing on a short table. Scattered around the floor of the living room were various Olive drab duffle bags and several backpacks, one large enough to fit a sleeping bag comfortably inside. One of the duffle bags on the floor had a red cross on it, signifying it was a medical bag.

Star Yield had brought it to the house along with the other supplies just in case Celestia's wounds brought her health too low, so the bag included a suite of high-powered antibiotics and painkillers, the main painkiller being a box of 18 morphine needles. There was also multiple boxes of bandages, gauze, medical stitches, and a rather new item, a defibrillator. The white stallion walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch and setting his drink on the coffee table in front of the fireplace.

"The one thing I don't like is that we have to be in this freezing house for the next month." The stallion said as his accomplices walked over and joined him on the couch.

"I hope Luna will raise the sun soon, if not we'll probably run out of firewood before the month is up." The light blue stallion said.

"It won't matter soon, once our mother is reborn and Luna realizes that Celestia was holding her back, the sun will never shine again." The pony with the glasses stated.

"I never thought we'd get this far, to be honest." The white stallion confessed as he took a sip of water.

"I didn't either, but now that we have Celestia, we're on the home stretch."

"Princess Luna, the messengers have returned." Cloud Drop explained, his breath visible in the frigid outside air.

"Oh, good. What is moral like?" Luna asked.

"Not very good, and all of the smaller towns have requested that we send supplies, firewood, warm clothing, candles, anything that can be used to make things warm. Also, may I ask why you're outside? It's freezing out here."

Cloud Drop had expected to find Luna in her private quarters, but instead he had found her standing on a snowy balcony that hung off the castle gardens.

"Shhhh." Luna hushed, her horn beginning to glow brightly.

Cloud Drop couldn't tell, but despite the calm look on Luna's face, she was straining to raise the sun. Her legs began wobbling, the glow of her horn slowly starting to dim. Seconds later the glow died off, Luna half collapsing to the snowy tile floor, her breathing fast and heavy.

"Luna! Are you okay?" Cloud cried, running over and helping her up.

"Yes... Yes, I am fine. I have been out here for half an hour now trying to raise the sun, and it is starting to take it's toll on me." Luna responded as she steadied herself.

"How do you not have frostbite yet? The temperature has dropped to single digits!" Cloud Drop said as he escorted her through the garden and back inside.

"I'm used to the cold, I used to spend much of my time out in the cold night." She explained.

Luna and Cloud Drop continued walking away from the gardens, the hallways near the large open area filled with chilly air from outside. The two finally distanced themselves enough from the garden to no longer be affected by the cold air, Luna's half-frozen limbs thankful for the change on temperature. Down one of the halls, Luna could hear the sound of somepony running, seconds later a white Pegasus guard came around a corner, running towards them.

"Your Highness... A messenger from... Stalliongrad is here." The guard said, panting heavily.

"What does he want?" Luna asked, following the guard back down the hallway he came from.

"He says it's about the Gryphon Kingdom."

The three entered the Throne room, standing in the middle of the room was a snow-covered pony who Luna recognized and Andrei, the messenger that had been at the castle only several days ago.

"Princess Luna, I bring worry news. The Gryphons have been built up troops along the border. They also have not been respond to any attempts at communication, and a few messengers gone missing after leave for Gryphon border." Andrei explained, a worried look on his face.

"I do not need this right now." Luna said as she sat down in her throne; the large, golden throne beside her remained empty.

"I... I am sorry for loss, Princess. She was friend of both I and Mikhail." Andrei mourned, lowering his head.

"Andrei, I want you to stay here for the next day, I do not want you back out in the cold." Luna said.

"But your highness, I ca---"

"I do not care. When our troops are sent out on their way, you may return home with them."

"Uh, your Majesty, Celestia's funeral is tomorrow, and four of the helicopters are scheduled for a fly-over, that would reduce the amount of troops we can send by nearly 20 percent." Cloud Drop said.

"Alright then, we will send them the day after the funeral. Andrei, I remember you informing my Sister of a meeting, should I attend in her place?" Luna asked, dreading the mention of both her sister and the meeting that caused her to leave the castle.

"Gryphons will not responding to any messages for while... I not thinking they would send King to make peace talks... but Mikhail still want to discuss action plan." Andrei said.

"Understood. Time to get to work." Luna said as she stood up from her throne, both Cloud Drop and Andrei following her out of the throne room and down the hall.

The three reached Luna's private quarters, Luna swung open the doors and sat down at her desk, practically forgetting about the two she had dragged along with her.

"Uh, Princess?" Cloud Drop said, making her turn around.

"Oh! Right... uh, Cloud Drop, I wish for you to assemble the soldiers we will send in the throne room, I will brief them once I am finished here. Make sure they are all combat ready in the next hour." Luna said, turning back around in her chair.

"Understood, your Majesty, I'll be back once they're all ready." Cloud Drop said, bowing down and leaving from the doorway.

"Anything for me to do, Majesty?" Andrei asked.

"Keep me company."

Andrei gave a confused look.

"Wha-?"

"Just come inside and have a seat in the living room, I suppose you can fill me in on a few things." Luna said.

Andrei complied, awkwardly walking into Luna's living room and sitting down in one of the over-sized chairs.

"Let me finish writing this, and then I will be right with you." Luna said as she focused on writing whatever she was writing.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I do not know if you wish to do so, but I am requesting that you come to Canterlot Castle. An altercation of Military proportions has begun on the border of Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom, and they have requested that we send backup. I was also instructed that I should be present. I am unaware of how long it will take me to sort out this whole incident, so I wish for you to take over until I return. If you have any sort of problem with this, I understand, as we both know what event has occurred recently.

-Princess Luna

Andrei looked over as Luna rolled up whatever she had been writing and levitated it into the air. Seconds later, the paper was consumed by a green, swirling cloud of smoke, the cloud phasing through the wall of her room as it was sent off.

"What was that?" He asked.

"I am calling my own backup."Luna said with a smile, leaning back in her chair. "I have never truthfully been introduced to you, the only thing I know about you is that your name is Andrei."

"My full name is Andrei Kuznyetzov, I guess is first thing to know. I work as personal messenger and sometime assistant for President Mikhail. I think you never met Mikhail."

"I have never personally been acquainted with him... however, I do remember my sister speaking highly of him."

"He and Celestia were close friends, OH! I remember, he will be attending funeral tomorrow. Sorry for to bring up again."

"No, it is fine. I think I have started to get used to others speaking of her." said Luna, resting her head on her hoof.

"I am get hungry, if you don't mind I going to get dinner now, it should be served right now, correct?"

"Um... yes," Luna looked to the clock on her desk. "Dinner is being served now."

Andrei stood up from his over-sized seat, walking out of Princess Luna's private quarters. After Andrei left, the room was left in a silent state, the only sound was the occasional creak of wood or wind howling through the cracks of the windows. Luna turned back around in her chair, levitating a document from a stack of papers, placing it in front of herself. She sighed as she levitated a quill off her desk, dipping it in a bottle of thin, black ink. She had only been the Ruler of Equestria for a day, and paperwork was already the bane of her existence.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 6: The New Girl At Work

Twilight walked down the stairs from her room and into the main room of the library where Spike was doing the usual dusting/reorganizing routine. She turned away from the main room, walked into the kitchen and opening the fridge. It was time for dinner. Before Twilight could begin preparing herself and Spike a meal, she heard a loud burp come from the other room, she turned around to see Spike holding a letter in his hands.

"A letter from Celes... I mean Luna." Spike said, the tone of his voice changing from cheer to solemn.

Spike cleared his throat. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I am requesting your presence at Canterlot Castle as soon as possible. An altercation of Military proportions has begun on the border of Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom, and they have requested that we send backup. I was also instructed that I should be present. I am unaware of how long it will take me to sort out this
whole incident, so I wish for you to take over until I return. If you have any sort of problem with this, I understand, as we both know what event has occurred recently. Signed, Princess Luna."

"She wants me to take over all of Equestria? Do I have to be there now?"

"The letter doesn't say if she wants you there now, but I'd assume so."

Twilight ran up the stairs and back into her bedroom, slamming the door closed behind her. The vibrations of the door knocked over several books on the shelf. Spike groaned in frustration, walking over and setting the books back up-right. Twilight's door flew open as she shot out of her room and slammed the door again, the same four books falling over.

"Would you stop slamming the door!" Spike yelled, startling Twilight.

"Oh, sorry!"

Spike put the books back upright for the second time. Twilight trotted down the stairs, the old wooden steps creaking from the extra weight of her large saddle bag and thick coat.

"Spike, do you think you can watch over the library while I'm gone?" She asked.

"Of course, I've done this plenty of times!" Spike said happily, setting his feather duster down on a small wooden table.

"Good, and remember to feed Owlicious!" Twilight called as the ran out of the door.

"Whoo!"

Spike looked up at the brown owl perched next to a circular window.

"Think she'll be back soon?" Spike asked the owl.

"Whoo."

"I hope so, too."

"Your Majesty, all of the reserve troops we're sending have been gathered in the Throne room and are awaiting a briefing." Cloud Drop said as he poked his head through Luna's door.

"Oh! Good. I will be with you in a moment's time, please excuse me for I have gotten myself caught up in this paperwork."

"Not a problem, your Majesty."

After quickly sprawling out a few finishing words, Luna set her quill down and stood up from her chair. Cloud Drop stood out of the way as she exited, turning down the hall and walking to the Throne room. Upon entering the expansive room almost 500 Guard ponies stood at attention, a collective *clop* sound echoing through the hall as each one planted his hooves firmly on the floor in unison. They were not all dressed in the usual decorative, golden armor, they all wore white and gray camouflaged armor to help them blend in with the snow.

"We can fit all of these troops in 19 helicopters?" Luna asked as she turned her head to look at Cloud Drop.

"No, half of them will be staying after the first trip. If things go south, the rest will be sent." Cloud Responded.

"What shall I begin with?" Luna whispered to Cloud.

"You should start off with 'at ease', otherwise, they'll stand at attention for the next 30 moons." Cloud responded.

"At ease!"

All of the guards relaxed their stances, standing in a normal fashion.

Luna cleared her throat. "As many of you are aware, tensions between the Gryphon Kingdom and our allies, the Country of Stalliongrad and Germaney, have been on the rise. As of yesterday, I was informed that the Gryphon Military has advanced to Stalliongrad's border. The officials at Stalliongrad have attempted to communicate with the Gryphons, but they have not been responding. On top of this, two Stalliongrad messengers have gone missing and are presumably being held by the Gryphons."

"As of yet, no true military action has been conducted between the two nations, we are going to keep it that way. Mikhail, the president of Stalliongrad, hopes that if we send enough troops it will ward off any sort of action the Gryphons are planning, as we will have the upperhoof in numbers. In two days time, you will all be embarking to Stalliongrad and Germaney to provide aid for their troops. Details of the mission and flight path can be collected from your Platoon commanders. Any questions?"

No hooves went up.

"Please, enjoy the rest of your night, and be safe when you all reach Stalliongrad."

Each and every soldier in the room stood up straight, raising their heads.

"YES, SIR!" The collective voice of the 500 soldiers boomed.

Luna was awestruck at the loyalty and discipline of the group. She was nearly unable to comprehend that she was in charge of all of them, let alone the rest of the Royal Guard. The sound of the main door to the throne room echoed through the expansive space, a single, purple pony standing in the doorway. Twilight Sparkle stood completely still, her body frozen in both amazement and fear.

"Twilight? You came quickly..." Luna called across the room.

Twilight stepped into the throne room, walking through the crowd of soldiers that had begun to leave the room.

"Princess, what's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Not necessarily, the issue between Stalliongrad and the Gryphons has become quite bad, and they're requested that we send them reinforcements." Luna explained as she lingered behind the large group of soldiers.

"Back-up? Does that mean that... war has broken out?" Twilight asked fearfully.

"No, not yet. Andrei, one of their messengers, informed me that the Gryphons have built up large troop concentrations along both Germaney and Stalliongrad's borders. I was told that if we send a high amount of troops the Gryphons would be less prone to attack."

"And you want me to take over while you're gone?" Twilight asked.

"Yes. You may find your old room and get settled. I hope this isn't too much trouble for you at the moment, I understand that you are hurt from the loss of your friend. We all are."

"No, it's no trouble at all, Princess. You seem to be... fine."

"To be truthful, Twilight Sparkle, the only reason I left my quarters this morning is because I am expected to do a job around here." Said Luna, her happy demeanor changing.

"Your Majesty, I've got some questions about... Oh, hello, Princess Twilight." Cloud Drop, who had just rounded the corner said, drawing their attention.

Twilight simply smiled in response.

"Uh, anyway...," Cloud Drop said as he took a document from under his wing where he had been holding it, "It's about the helicopter Celestia was in."

Luna took the paper with her magic, unfolding it and reading a few lines.

"I wish to deal with this at another time," Luna spoke, returning the folder to Cloud. "I am sorry for requesting your presence on such short notice, Ms. Sparkle."

"Princess, you can stop apologizing! I'm fine, really!"

"Alright. We will let you unpack the things you brought. Have a good night, Twilight Sparkle!" Luna called as she and Cloud Drop walked away.

Twilight placed her attention back on her room, opening the door with her magic and walking inside. The room had not changed one bit the last time she had visited, all of the books, chairs, tables, plants, and other various details sat in the same location they always had. Her old room was one of the several large suites of the castle, hers differed from the others as it was built onto a tower, overlooking a courtyard and a portion of the Royal Gardens. Twilight dropped her saddle back near the entrance to the bedroom and took off her coat, levitating it across the room and hanging it up on a brass coat-hanger mounted on the wall.

She walked into the living room, sitting down on one of the three chairs in the room. A sigh of relief escaped from Twilight, the trip to Canterlot Castle was a long one, but with the excess weight of her thick coat and saddlebags, the trip felt twice as long. After thinking for a moment, she was rather pleased that she was in the castle. Deep down, she knew Celestia couldn't be dead, she didn't want to believe that her best friend could just disappear. All of the evidence to prove this was right at her hooves, the castle held countless books and documents, and some of those documents had to have something about the crash Celestia was in.

"Your Majesty, do you wish to discuss the---"

"Yes, fine. let us get it over with." Luna snapped angrily, cutting off Cloud Drop mid-sentence.

She gave a sigh, her head drooping downward.

"I apologize, I should not have yelled like that."

"I understand. If you don't feel like talking about it right now, then we won't." Cloud Drop responded sympathetically.

"No, as I stated, let us get it over with."

"Alright then. Uh, the division that operates the helicopters wants to retrieve the wreckage of the helicopter to see if they can salvage anything from the wreckage and conduct a more thorough investigation. They also wish to have an order written to the manufacturer for a new aircraft." Cloud read, his eyes looking over a few papers he had on a clipboard.

Luna thought for a moment.

"A replacement is certainly in order. I believe it would be beneficial to order more than just a replacement, as well. But... as for retrieving the wreckage, I would rather have it left where it is." She explained.

"Wait... why should we leave the wreckage?"

"A memorial. Many of our historical events are marked with something, and I think it would be a foolish decision to disturb the wreckage." Luna spoke coldly.

"Wouldn't a memorial like a statue or a plaque be in more order? Everything else has been memorialized in such a way."

"This isn't 'everything else'." explained Luna, shooting him a look.

"You've got a point. And... uh, you said 'more than just a replacement', what did you mean?"

"I would like for the Guard to operate more of these aircraft. These flying machines have proved themselves to be valuable and indispensable members of the Guard. You cannot argue that we would benefit from having more." Luna explained.

Cloud Drop simply nodded.

"I'll inform the division."

Cloud Drop turned and made his way towards the doors of Luna's room, before exiting he paused.

"Your Majesty, there's something else."

Luna turned back around in her chair, having already resumed her work from assuming that Cloud Drop would continue on his way.

"It is customary for the Princess to inform the families or relatives of any soldier who passes not in combat. I assume you're aware that the two pilot's who were with Celestia didn't survive." Cloud explained.

"Yes, I was aware", Luna let out a sigh. "I really do not wish to complete this action."

"It'll be difficult, but it helps show everypony that we do in fact care about their loved ones who serve us."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me.

Nº 7: Million Day Funeral

If you don't like gore: scroll down until you see this marker once more.

The wooden door at the top of the stairs creaked open, yellow light flooding the concrete cell Celestia was in. She tried to stand up, but her injuries prevented her from completing the action. Celestia felt her heart beating faster, fear causing her front hooves to shake; she didn't want the three stallions to come back down, she knew they would only hurt her more. The metal cell door opened as the three stallions walking inside. Celestia tried to back away from them, but once more the wall behind her stopped her retreat. The white stallion set the same plate of food as before in front of her, Celestia's eyes meeting with his, hate burning through her vision.

"Well, come on. You've got to eat, we don't want you to get hungry," The stallion said with a malicious grin.

Celestia tried to reach out with her hoof, but the intense pain from the action caused her to recoil back.

"Oh no, does your leg hurt?" Asked the Light blue Stallion, who stood a few feet to the left of the White Stallion.

Celestia responded by not moving. The white stallion stepped over to Celestia, wrapping his front leg around her neck.

"N-no! Please, let me go! I-I'm sorry!" She cried, tears of fear welling up in her eyes as the stallion dragged her over to the barred metal door of the cell.

Celestia screamed in pain as the stallion slammed his hoof down on her bloody, broken leg, the shock of the impact causing her to stop struggling. The stallion levitated Celestia's back right leg off the concrete floor, forcefully placing it between the bars in the same fashion he had done before. Celestia quickly pulled her back leg out from the bars, painfully dragging herself along the floor in an attempt to get away from the door. The white stallion dragged Celestia back to the door with his magic, instead of putting her back leg in between the bars again he deployed the sharp blade attached to the back of his shoe.

"W-wait! No, no, I'm sorry f-for trying to get away!" Celestia screamed, raising her shaking front hooves in an attempt to shield herself.

The stallion swung the blade through the air, slicing along the lower segments of Celestia's front legs. Dark red blood began flowing from the nearly inch deep cuts. Celestia sat completely still while she stared at the cuts, unable to scream as shock and pain took over her body. She began to feel light-headed, the room getting blurry as shock began to set in. Before the stallion could inflict another wound, Celestia blacked out, her head and legs falling limp on the floor.

|~|

Celestia slowly opened her eyes, the intense physical pain of her wounds making her groan loudly as she regained consciousness. The room was dimly lit by the small candle in the corner, providing just enough light for her to see. She slowly moved her head up off the floor, looking around the nearly empty room. Her eyes were drawn to the spot of the floor in which she was lying.

Her own dried blood covered most of the floor, including several places near the barred door of the cell. Celestia shakily lifted her left front leg off the floor, examining the wound. Tears began to drip from her cheeks, the physical pain and the fear of being tortured more beginning to take over her mind. Nearly every part of her body burned with pain.

Her face, stomach, wing and both of her front and back legs. Celestia painfully rolled over, the second her left wing touched the floor it sent a spike of pain shooting through her nerves. Celestia rolled onto her right side, scared to try and more again. At this point she was half sobbing, her breathing becoming shaky. The sound of the wooden door at the top of the stairs opening creaked loudly through the cell.

"Go away, just leave me alone!" Celestia screamed at the three ponies coming down the stairs.

"If we left you alone I'm sure you'd shrivel up from starvation." The voice of the white stallion said, a plate of food and a cup of water becoming visible in the dim candle light.

The three ponies entered through the barred cell door, the white stallion setting down the plate of food and water in front of Celestia. Celestia maintained her previous resolute and didn't touch the food, despite the growl in her stomach.

"Remember what happen last time you didn't eat?" The white stallion said, stomping his hoof on the floor to deploy the blade concealed by his shoe.

Celestia immediately reached for the plate, her bloody hoof shakily sliding the plate of food across to her. She began eating the rice and bread on the plate, occasionally looking up at the white stallion. It seemed that the white stallion was the only one that hurt her. The pony with the glasses didn't do much, and the light blue stallion had only helped the white stallion break her leg. Why was the white stallion the only one that hurt her?

Numerous questions mounted themselves in Celestia's mind as she ate the repulsive sustenance that kept her alive. She remembered back to when Star Yield told of this... Aura, something Celestia had been curious about. From what she could tell, it was a spell of some sort that Luna had created in order to rally ponies for this insane plan she had devised. Every single time Celestia thought of her sister, rage filled her heart. Why would she have this done to her?

From the time she had returned from the moon and had Nightmare Moon removed from her mind, she had been fine. The first time she hadn't been this violent, Luna's intentions previously had been to take Equestria and banish Celestia to a far away land, not have her tortured.

"So, how was your nap?" The white stallion said, interrupting Celestia's chain of thought.

"I assume you're speaking about how I blacked out after you cut my legs open." Celestia snarled in return.

"Yes, I am. You've been out for nearly 5 hours. I suppose your body needed the rest, you do have a big month planned ahead."

"Torturing me counts as plans?" Celestia asked sarcastically after swallowing a bite of rice.

"Considering how fun it is, yes."

"Y-you think torturing me is fun? You really are sick in the head..." Celestia said in a disgusted tone of voice.

"You're very good at hurting yourself, Princess." The White Stallion spat, stepping over to Celestia and bringing his blade down on her right shoulder.

Celestia screamed loudly, her body making a jerking motion from the excruciating pain from the wound. She tried to move away from the stallion, but any movement she made was countered by the blade in her flesh shifting, causing more pain. Celestia stopped moving as best she could, her back legs still slightly kicking as her body tried to escape from the pain. The White Stallion slowly began to twist the blade in Celestia's leg, the length of the blade splitting her wound open and causing more blood to seep from her flesh.

"S-stop! P-please... please stop!" Celestia screamed, tears of pain dripping down her cheeks.

"Give me one reason to stop." The white stallion said as he knelt down to meet Celestia at eye level.

Celestia whimpered in response.

"Alright, leave her alone. If you keep stabbing her she'll either bleed out or die of starvation, seeing as how you won't let her eat." The pony with the glasses said, causing the white stallion to look over at him.

Several agonizing seconds later the white stallion pulled his blade from Celestia's leg, dark red blood flowing from the deep wound in her shoulder. She frantically moved away from the white stallion, a trail of blood dripping down Celestia's leg and onto the floor as she moved. She had begun to feel both light-headed and dizzy from blood loss, the room spinning and blurring as her brain struggled to function from the lack of oxygen.

Celestia found herself backed into the corner of the room, and despite being blocked by the corner her back legs continued to push as her mind's only directive was to get away from the pony that caused all of the pain. The white stallion's horn lit up, the plate of food and the glass of water became surrounded by his magic as the objects levitated off of the floor. The food and water gently came to a rest a short distance from Celestia, her eyes darted from the food to the white stallion.

"Come on, eat up. I won't hurt you anymore if you eat all of it." The white stallion said in a condescending tone.

"Yes you will. I know you will," Celestia said, not moving an inch towards the food.

"No, I won't. Look," Said the white stallion as he stepped across the room and picked up the food and water with his magic, suspending it in the air in front of Celestia.

"See? Just take the food and eat, after all, today IS your funeral."

Celestia's eyes widened in fear.

"W-wha...? What do you mean? are you going to kill me?" She asked in a soft voice, blood loss had begun to take its effect.

"No, you idiot. Did you actually think that we wouldn't fake your death? Your end is far off, but; for the rest of Equestria, today marks a new era. Our true leader shall take over the throne and bring all of Equestria to..." The stallion paused as he noticed Celestia starting to wobble from side to side, blood still dripping from a few of her wounds.

At first, the white stallion thought that Celestia was falling asleep, but it became apparent that she was passing out from blood loss. After a few seconds of Celestia's eyes fluttering, she fell over sideways onto the concrete floor of the cell, her mouth hanging open as she lost consciousness.

"Go upstairs and get one of the medical bags." The pony with the glasses said in an annoyed tone as he walked over to Celestia.

The light blue stallion ran out of the cell and up the stairs while the pony with the glasses tried to move Celestia's large, heavy, limp body.

"What are you trying to do?" The white stallion asked.

"We need to lie her down flat so blood can flow to her brain." The pony with the glasses returned.

After a moment, the pony with the glasses had successfully laid Celestia flat on her back. The light blue stallion trotted down the wooden stairs with a large olive-drab medical bag on his back, once he was at the bottom of the stairs he dropped the bag on the floor. The pony with the glasses opened the bag, pulling out a number of medical items and began to tend to the wound on Celestia's leg.

"Uuuuhhg... g-get... away..." Celestia mumbled as she started to regain consciousness, her head lifting off the floor to look at the three ponies.

"Shut up and lay back down, you'll black out again if you don't." The pony with the glasses said as he pushed Celestia's head back down.

Celestia continued to groan as the pony with the glasses patched up the wound on her shoulder. After he had finished wrapping her leg wound he held a plastic water bottle up to her mouth with his hoof, water dribbling down Celestia's cheeks and chin as she drank. The pony with the glasses refilled the glass of water with the rest of the bottle's contents before putting the empty vessel on the floor. After placing the medical supplies back into the bag, the pony with the glasses walked out of the cell and up the wooden steps of the basement.

Before leaving the cell, the white stallion blew out the candle in the corner, leaving the room completely pitch black. Celestia watched as the white stallion walked up the stairs and through the wooden door at the top.

"H-how do you sleep at night?" Celestia asked quietly.

The light blue stallion, who had not yet made it to the top of the steps, paused. The only thing Celestia could see was the stallion's glowing azure eyes.

"Comfortably."

The light blue stallion gave a maniacal chuckle and continued up the stairs.

"Do me a favor, don't stab her again for a while." The pony with the glasses said as he used a cloth to wipe the blood from his hooves.

"Oh yes, you get queasy around blood. Funny you decided to become a doctor." Taunted the white stallion.

"My issue with blood started after I finished medical school, thank you. As for the not stabbing her part... just beat her for the next few days. If you keep inflicting bodily harm she could easily die of blood loss."

"Understood, hooves only."

The white stallion went into the kitchen of the small house and opened one of the cabinets.

"Anypony getting hungry?" He asked.

"I'm fine for the moment," The light-blue stallion responded.

"I guess I could go for a sandwich or something."

End of the nasty bits

Twilight Sparkle walked out of her room in Canterlot Castle, the chilly air of the halls causing her to shiver momentarily. She hadn't realized that it was almost 11:00 in the morning, seeing as how the sun had not risen in four days it was hard to tell if it was day or night. Twilight instantly noticed the lack of sound in the castle halls, as well as the lack of ponies. Normally in this particular wing of the castle there were many different ponies moving from place to place, but at the time the hall was occupied only by Twilight and several Royal Guards.

"Twilight Sparkle, good morning." Princess Luna said as she rounded the corner, Cloud Drop following close behind.

"Good morning." Twilight returned.

"Have you been doing well lately? I do wish you could have been here on different terms, Mrs. Sparkle," Luna said in a sad tone.

"I've been doing good, I guess. It's hard, you know... just getting up in the morning."

"I understand fully what you are experiencing, but we all have a job to do," Responded Luna as she walked away, Twilight and Cloud Drop followed behind.

"You're aware of what day it is, right Ms. Sparkle?" Cloud Drop asked as the three walked.

"Wha-? Yeah, it's Sunday, and please, just call me Twilight."

"You are correct on the day but incorrect on the occasion. Today is Princess Celestia's funeral."

"It is? I thought it was tomorrow! It's so hard to tell what day it is, I'm not even sure what time it is," Twilight exclaimed.

"Apologies on that subject, I am still attempting to raise the sun," Luna said.

"Also, Mrs. Sparkle, Luna has requested that I give you some instructions for your stay, so when the time is right I need to go over a few things with you," Cloud Drop intervened.

Twilight responded with a nod. Cloud Drop had a strange demeanor to him, his eye patch contributed to that significantly. Twilight could remember back to when she was a young filly, the first time she had met him was when he had become Princess Celestia's personal assistant and military advisor. She didn't exactly understand why she felt that Cloud Drop had something to do with Celestia's death, it seemed ridiculous, but she had a gut feeling that he had something to do with it.

Twilight heard a sniffle come from Luna, she looked up to see Luna wipe her eyes on her shoulder. The trio was soon at the closed doors of the Ceremonies Hall, a place where (normally) happy events took place, but on this Red Letter day, the event was anything but happy. Luna let out a sigh before she opened the door, her head dropping downwards as she rested her hoof on the door.

"P-please, give me a moment. This has been a... a difficult several days." Luna sniffled.

"Take all the time you need, Princess." Cloud Drop said.

It became apparent that Luna had been holding back tears from the time they had started walking. Luna silently wept as her emotions began to overwhelm her. She stepped away from Twilight and Cloud Drop, turning from them and leaning against the wall next to the door. Her small cries had turned to loud sobs, her breathing stuttered every few seconds as she struggled to keep her emotions under control. Cloud Drop stepped over to Luna, placing his hoof over her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.

Twilight saw Cloud Drop lean his head down and whisper something to Luna, a few seconds later she lifted up her head and gave a small nod. Luna took a second to compose herself before pushing open the two large doors to the Ceremonies Hall. The hall was decorated in a rather formal way, there were no balloons, banners, streamers or other decorations. The only true decorations were four enormous tapestries on the walls, each of the silky black rectangles had a large, white sun at its center. Standing underneath each of the tapestries was a Royal Guard.

Each of the Guards were adorned with a unique set of glossy black armor, despite the rather dim lighting of the hall, the armor still gleamed as if it was in direct sunlight. Along with their unique sets of armor, each guard had an extravagantly crafted sword mounted at their side, it's sharp blade engraved with fine, decorative carvings. The very end of the Ceremonies Hall was easily visible from the point at which the trio had entered from, a long black carpet lead from the two doors to the very end of the hall, to either side of the carpet was the guest seating area. At the end of the Ceremonies Hall was a white, glossy podium, at either side of the podium was a large wreath of flowers and a portrait of Princess Celestia. Just behind the podium stood an elevated position with three large thrones.

The platform had an extravagant banner running along its perimeter, on the left side of the platform was a staircase with a small red carpet draped over it. One thing stood out to both Luna and Twilight, not only was Celestia's throne among the three large chairs, but it was at the center of them. To the left of all this was an unusually large, dark stained wood casket. The trio walked down the black carpet, each step echoing softly in the quiet Ceremonies Hall. After reaching the end of the hall, Luna walked up the steps of the platform to her throne and sat down. Twilight took her seat next to Celestia's throne, the emptiness of the large chair only serving as a reminder to what happen only 4 days ago. Cloud Drop, who had no place to sit, stood rigidly next to Luna's throne.

"Why does Celestia's throne have to be here? Couldn't they have gotten rid of it?"
Twilight said, not happy with the fact that she had to sit next to a reminder that her best friend was gone.

"No!" Luna responded loudly, her exclamation caught the attention of the small amount of the guests in the relatively quiet hall.

The Princess momentarily looked up and surveyed the few guests before returning her gaze to Twilight.

"I would rather sit next to my sister's empty throne than have there be no throne at all. Cloud Drop suggested for me to forget about my sister, as it would lessen the emotional pain I feel. I spent a thousand years in the moon, and she did not forget about me for a single minute. Completely erasing her from my mind and this castle is NOT how I wish to honor her."
Luna explained.

Twilight's rebuttal was to face towards the seating area and not say anything more.

"Your Highness, when I said to forget about Celestia, I didn't mean to erase her memory completely, I meant to forget about the fact that she's gone. When I lost my parents I found the best way to deal with it was to just image they were on a long vacation, and that maybe one day she'd come back."

Luna gave Cloud Drop a quizzical look.

"Why did you say 'she' when you were addressing your parents?" She asked.

"Excuse me, your highness?" Cloud returned.

"You said 'she' when addressing your parents."

"I... I don't think I did, I remember saying 'they'."

"You miss Celestia, don't you?" Luna asked quietly.

"How could I not." Cloud Drop spoke, not losing his stoic manner.

Twilight stared at Cloud Drop for several seconds before turning back towards the end of the Ceremonies Hall. She had been skeptical of Cloud Drop, but all of the evidence she had seen so far contradicted the few theories she had.

The sound of the Ceremonies Hall doors opening made both Twilight and Luna look up to see two ponies enter, four Royal guards escorting them inside. The stallion on the left was significantly taller than the four guards he walked with and the pony next to him, who Luna soon realized was Andrei. Andrei was wearing a black dress coat and a dark green scarf, both articles of clothing contrasted his naturally white fur and his light brown mane and tail. The stallion next to him was wearing similar clothing, but the black coat he wore complemented his dark brown fur and black mane. As the two got closer, Luna started to realize that the tall, brown stallion had two different colored eyes.

"Who is this stallion next to Andrei?" Luna asked.

"That would be Mikhail Khrushchev, the President of Stalliongrad. It's good to see him here, he and Celestia were very good friends." Cloud Drop responded.

Luna stood up from her throne and stepped off of the platform the thrones rested upon, Cloud Drop following her as she went to greet Mikhail.

"Princess Luna, I wish we could have met under different circumstances," Mikhail said as he held out his hoof.

Luna shook hooves with Mikhail, both of them exchanging a smile. She was surprised how well Mikhail spoke Equestrian, his speech still held an eastern accent, but he spoke Equestrian as well as any native speaker. The other outstanding fact of his appearance was his differently colored iris'.

"You have heterochromia iridium, do you not?" Luna asked in a curious tone.

"Y-yes, I do. Not many ponies I meet know the name of the condition." Mikhail responded.

"I have only read about this condition, but I have never seen a pony with it! One orange and one blue, how beautiful." Luna exclaimed as she investigated Mikhail's eyes.

"Well thank you, I get it often. Celestia always joked that it helped me win the election."

Luna seemed to loose her happy demeanor after the mention of her sister.

"I am deeply sorry for your loss. I... didn't take the news well. Things have... been very different lately." Mikhail said.

"I should agree with your statement. It has been... difficult... to say the least."

"Have you been holding up well? I mean no offense, but you don't look well." Mikhail commented as they began walking down the center of the Ceremonies Hall.

"I will not lie, I have not been doing well at all. I have not been sleeping well, either." Luna responded in a low voice.

"Well, I wish the best of luck to you. Having to take over an entire nation must be difficult. I must ask, why has the sun not risen?"

"I... well, I cannot raise it yet. It takes a while before one can learn to control Celestial bodies, and the Sun is the only one I do not know how to control. Your citizens do not require any aid at this time, do they?" The Princess asked.

"No, I've had to tell many of them that I don't know why the sun went away, but I haven't had any pony complain about the cold. The masses of Stalliongrad are fairly used to the cold."

"That is good to hear."

"Well, I'll go find a seat, it seems most of the guests haven't arrived yet." Mikhail said as he looked around the relatively empty seating area.

Mikhail split off from Luna and Cloud Drop, taking a seat on one of the white folding chairs in the seating area. Andrei gave a small frown before doing the same.

"Последнее, что Селестия сказала мне увидимся завтра. Я никогда не видел ее снова."
(The last thing Celestia said to me was 'see you tomorrow'. I never did see her again.) Andrei said after sitting down next to Mikhail.

"Это такая ужасная вещь она ушла. Так много знаний и жизнь для одного пони, чтобы иметь. Я просто надеюсь, что она не пострадала в ее последние минуты."
(It is such a horrible thing she's gone. So much knowledge and life for a single pony to have. I just hope she did not suffer in her final moments.) Mikhail responded in a low voice.

"Замкнутый шкатулка никогда не является хорошей вещью."
(A closed casket is never a good thing.) Andrei said.

It had been around 10 minutes before the majority of the guests began to arrive through the large doors of the Ceremonies Hall. The group of guests was an extremely diverse group, most of the ponies that were attending came from every part of Equestria. The one thing that made them all alike was the unanimous feeling of loss, and a duty to pay final respects to the pony that had protected Equestria and it's surrounding countries from danger, a pony that had for long brought light to a once dark land. Luna watched as the numerous ponies seated themselves, the once empty seating areas soon filling with hundreds of ponies.

She was glad that so many ponies from so many different parts of Equestria had gathered to mourn the loss of her sister, it showed just how caring many of them were. It took a while before the last guests arrived, most of the final guests to enter were Dignitaries or Diplomats from various countries around Equestria and abroad.

For normal events, it was typical for Diplomats, Royalty, and Dignitaries to have designated seats, these seats usually had the advantage of a better view of said events. For the funeral of Princess Celestia, a better view did not exist. Twilight looked up to see five ponies she knew very well enter the hall, each one of them dressed in formal black attire. Twilight stood up from her throne and walked down the steps of the platform to greet her friends.

"Hi, Twilight," Fluttershy said, being the first one to speak up.

"Hey. I'm glad that you all could make it." Twilight responded in a mundane tone.

"Oh, we wouldn't miss it for the world, darling." Rarity said, her usual extravagance worn by sorrow.

"That's right. Ah don't think we'd even be your friends if we wouldn't have shown." Applejack exclaimed.

"Is Princess Luna doing okay? She doesn't look okay." Pinkie Pie asked in a sad tone.

Ever since the group received the news of Princess Celestia's passing they had been down-trodden, but it seemed that Pinkie Pie was the hardest hit (Twilight being an exception).

"No, she really isn't. No pony around here is." Twilight responded.

Princess Luna looked up momentarily to make eye contact with Pinkie. Even at the distance the group was from the platform it was easy to tell that Luna had tears in her eyes. A few seconds after looking at Pinkie Pie she turned her head away from the group, trying her best to cover her face with her hoof. Pinkie continued to watch as Luna's tears turned into a violent sob, the faint sound her her cries echoing throughout the mostly quiet Ceremonies Hall. Pinkie Pie mumbled something, her mumble catching the attention of the group.

"Did you say something, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"This sucks," Pinkie repeated, tears of her own starting to well up in her eyes.

Rainbow gave a sigh.

"This does suck. This is the worst day of my life. You know, I'm with you Twilight, there's no way that Celestia is actually gone." She said.

"Can we talk about this another time?" Twilight said in a slightly annoyed manner.

Rainbow didn't respond.

"Alright, well... I guess we'll go find ourselves some seats. Do try to not let this bother you too much, darling." Rarity said.

"I've been trying. It's hard to not let it hurt."

With Twilight's words Rarity split off from the group, the rest of them following except for Fluttershy.

"Just remember the good times we've had with the Princess. T-That's what I've been doing." Fluttershy said as her voice began to crack near the end of her sentence.

Twilight gave a nod before turning and walking back to the platform.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 8: Remind Me To Never Make You Angry

"It looks like this is the place." Cloud Drop said in a mundane manner.

Luna followed Cloud Drop through the wooden gate of a rather nice home's front yard, said gate being covered in snow and ice. It was the home of Night Flight, or rather, the late Night Flight's family. The duo stood before the home's door for a moment, gathering their composure.

"I... do not want to do this." Luna stated.

"I know, your Highness. I don't either. I've done this quite a few times and... it never gets easier."

With that, Cloud brought his hoof to the door, waiting a moment before a middle-aged mare in a sweater and socks came to the door.

"P-Princess Luna? How may I help you?" The mare asked in pure surprise.

"I think it would be best if I came inside," She responded.

The mare stepped to the side as she allowed both the Princess and Cloud Drop to enter. Luna found herself a seat close to the fireplace, Cloud Drop in turn only stood rigidly beside her. Luna's attention was turned towards the staircase of the home as a young colt came down the stairs, he stopped dead in his tracks as she realized Princess Luna and her Military Adviser were guests. He seemed to be both fearful and excited at the same time.

"Whoa, Princess Luna? What are you doing here?" He asked as he continued down the stairs.

"I fear that I must be the bearer of bad news. You might want to have a seat, Mrs. Flight."

The mare complied, taking a seat on the couch that rested at the opposite side of the room.

"This is about my husband, isn't this..." She asked coldly, Luna could already tell she was becoming nervous.

"This is indeed. Your husband, 1st Lieutenant Night Flight, was the co-pilot of my sister's flight to Stalliongrad. He was... one of the deceased."

The mare stared at Luna with teary eyes for several moments before turning to her son, who was looking at his mother.

"I am deeply sorry, to both of you. I wish there was something I could do."

The mare responded by cupping her face in her hooves, her sobs becoming louder and louder by the second. The young colt took a step back as he too began to cry, his face holding a look of complete disbelief.

"Y-you're just kidding, right?" he sniffled, tears welling in his eyes. "P-Please tell me that my dad isn't gone!" The colt said loudly.

Luna sighed, her head falling.

"No... nonono, t-this is a lie! Y-You're not telling the truth!"

The mare removed herself from the couch and moved to her son, kneeling down to eye level with him. The mare wrapped her front legs around her son tightly as she let him cry into her shoulder.

"P-please don't be gone, Dad, Please!" He sobbed.

Luna quietly stood up from her seat and walked towards the door, Cloud Drop following behind. She looked back before exiting the home, the mare looked up for a moment before leaning her head back down over her son's shoulders. Even after Luna had fully exited the home, the sorrowful wails of the pair were audible outdoors. Just as Luna opened the wooden gate to the home's yard, she paused at the sound of a door opening. She looked across the yard at the adjacent home as her eyes met those of a yellow-ish stallion, he had a concerned look on his face.

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude, your highness, but is everything alright? I heard yelling and crying." He said, the concern in his voice showing more towards the end of his sentence as he noticed the Princess was holding back tears.

"I a-assume you know the family that lives in this home?" Luna inquired, her voice cracking a little.

"Yeah, my wife and I have been good friends with them ever since we moved here, especially with Night." The stallion said as he fully stepped out from the doorway. Luna noticed how, even though he had been indoors, he was wearing a full coat and scarf.

"Honey, is everything alright?" A female voice called from inside the home.

"I don't know, hang on." The stallion responded and turned back to Princess Luna.

"I am deeply sorry to inform you of this... 1st Lieutenant Night Flight was killed 4 days ago along with a second pilot and my Sister." Luna said.

The stallion's mouth fell open, a sorrowful look slowly dawning upon his face.

"I knew it was him... I knew it was him." The stallion repeated as he shook his head.

"I... I really am sorry for the loss of your friend." Luna said quietly as a tear dripped down her cold cheek.

The stallion's response was to slowly step back inside, shutting the door softly behind him.

"This is easily the worst part of our job." Cloud Drop said, his teeth clattering together as the cold began to get to him.

"Yes... yes it is." Luna mumbled as wiped tears from her cheeks.

"I think it may be in order to bandage some of our captive's wounds," The Pony with the glasses said after consuming a spoonful of warm soup.

"What makes you think we should do that?" The white stallion responded, laying his spoon down on the dining room table.

"Well... when she passed out yesterday... you only pass out if you lose a very large amount of blood, and the wounds you've inflicted are very deep, and let's be honest, it's not very clean in that cell."

"What are you getting at?"

"I think she's at a high risk of infection, and with how low her health is... I don't think she would survive a serious infection." The Pony with the glasses said as he noticed that there was barely any soup left in his bowl.

The white stallion sat for a second, his glowing azure eyes fixed on a small scratch in the wood of the table.

"If you think it needs to be done, you do it. I'm not gonna be responsible for ruining this whole thing by killing her." The white stallion said as he levitated his spoon back off the table, dipping it into the soup.

At that point the Pony with the glasses stood up from the dining room table, picking his practically empty bowl up with his mouth and stepped into the kitchen. After rinsing the bowl clean, he walked into the living room of the small home and picked up a large Olive-drab duffle bag, on the side of the bag was a small white rectangle with a red cross at its center to indicate the bag was used for medical supplies. He walked out of the living room and down the hallway of the home, continuing passed the bedroom door and the bathroom door before coming to the entrance to the basement.

The pony with the glasses opened the door and stepped onto the landing that the stairs connected to, letting the door shut behind him before continuing down. The pony stood for a moment. The cell was completely silent, normally when he and his companions entered the cell Celestia had given a few words of retaliation, either she had passed out again or she was in too much pain to say anything. After coming down the stairs and stopping in front of the metal cell door the Pony with the glasses could see Celestia laying on her side, facing away from the door.

He swung the metal door open, walking inside and shutting it behind him, even after the loud clang of the door shutting and the lock re-engaging Celestia hadn't moved. The Pony with the glasses carefully set the medical bag on the blood-splotched concrete floor and clicked on the light in the room before stepping over to Celestia and giving her a sharp jab in the side with his hoof.

"Ghuuh? Whaa...?" Celestia mumbled, her legs moving a bit as she woke up.

"Come on, wake up." The Pony with the glasses said after he jabbed her a few more times.

Celestia squirmed a bit before slowly and carefully rolling over onto her other side to face the Pony with the glasses.

"W-what do you want?" She asked in a rather scared tone.

"I need to bandage your wounds."

Celestia looked around the dimly lit cell for a second.

"Where... where are the other two?" She asked, ignoring the Pony with the glasses previous statement.

"Upstairs eating dinner. Now, like I said, I need to bandage your wounds."

"W-wait... why?"

The Pony with the glasses grunted and rolled his eyes.

"Just shut up and lay still." He commanded as he walked to the medical bag, getting one of the handles in his mouth and dragging it across the floor so that it was closer to Celestia.

After undoing the zipper along the top the Pony with the glasses removed a plastic bottle of 99 percent isopropyl rubbing alcohol, several packages of gauze bandages, a package of cotton balls, several clean cloths and a bottle of water. Once he had laid out all of his supplies, the Pony with the glasses took the bottle of rubbing in his hooves and unscrewed the cap before setting it down.

"Give me your hoof, please."

Celestia slowly extended her right front leg towards the Pony with the glasses. Without giving her a warning, the Pony with the glasses picked up the bottle of alcohol and poured a generous amount into the deep slice along the lower part of her front leg, the extreme stinging pain of the alcohol rushing into the cut caused Celestia to flinch and yell in pain.

"Hold still!" Exclaimed the Pony with the glasses, reaching up with a hoof to push his glasses further up his muzzle.

"S-sorry..." Celestia said shakily after taking a deep breath.

"It's alright, this is going to hurt, but it will only last for a moment." The Pony with the glasses returned in an unintentionally soothing tone of voice. His years of both working in a hospital and being a field medic had taught him to be gentle with patients, it was hard to forget that experience for a single pony.

After putting the lid back on the bottle of rubbing alcohol the Pony with the glasses set the bottle down and picked up the container of water that had been in the bag. He took the cap off and began pouring water over Celestia's cut to clear out all of the dried blood and rubbing alcohol. He set the water bottle down and reached across to the small pile of cloths, taking one of them and beginning to wipe away the water, alcohol, and dried blood from the wound, causing Celestia to quietly repeat "Ow." several times. Once the remaining rubbing alcohol was gone, he set the cloth down and retrieved one of the gauze packages.

After fiddling with the small rectangular box, the Pony with the glasses was able to open one of the flaps and removed the roll of gauze from the box. He peeled back the beginning of the roll, setting it on top of the wound on Celestia's hoof and began to tightly wrap the gauze bandaging around the cut. After applying several layers the Pony with the glasses let go of the roll and reached over to the medical bag, taking out a small red folding blade knife. The second Celestia saw the small knife, she retracted her hoof, holding it closely to her chest.

"Give me your hoof, I need to cut the bandage."

Celestia didn't move.

The Pony with the glasses gave a grunt of annoyance and reached across, wrapping his hoof around Celestia's and began tugging, trying to pull it closer to him so he could cut the remaining roll of gauze away from the bandage.

"N-no, Please!" Celestia yelled, forcefully pulling her hoof away from the Pony with the glasses.

"I just said that I need to cut the bandage, not you!" He responded loudly.

After a second Celestia began slowly returning her hoof to the Pony with the glasses, who swiftly cut the roll of gauze away from her bandage, setting both it and the knife down.

"See? You're lucky that I'm nice, if you would have done that around White Dust, he would have beat you, stabbed you, then cut the bandage." The Pony with the glasses said.

"Is White Dust the White stallion's name?" Celestia asked lightly.

"Yes, now can I see your other hoof?"

Celestia nodded, retracting her newly bandaged right leg and attempted to extend her left, but the extreme pain of both the stab wounds and broken bone stopped her from extending the leg any further than a few inches. After adjusting his glasses, the pony was able to see that her left leg was the one the White Stallion had broken four days ago. Along with the deep gash in the lower part of her leg there was a large, black bruise from the broken bone and a deep stab wound at the point in which her leg met with her body. At this point, the Pony with the Glasses would have no problem admitting to feeling sorry for Celestia.

"Can you extend your leg a little further?" He asked.

Celestia slowly extended her left leg out little by little, eventually getting it to where the Pony with the glasses could continue to bandage her wounds. He turned around to retrieve the bottle of alcohol, but as he did his hoof smacked into the bottle of water, causing it to tip over and spill onto the floor and the roll of gauze.

"Ah! Damn it!" The Pony with the glasses exclaimed as he tried to salvage the water and gauze, both a complete loss.

"I need to go get more water, keep your hoof there." He said, a little bit of annoyance still hung in his voice.

The Pony with the glasses stood up and walked out of the cell and up the stairs towards the wooden door. Once he had left, Celestia looked at the several medical supplies lying around on the floor. As she browsed, her eyes stopped on a single object. The small red knife. The Pony with the glasses hadn't taken it with him. Celestia quickly moved herself closer to the knife and reached out with her left hoof, sliding the knife closer. She took the knife and carefully slid it under herself to conceal it, then began to move back to where she had originally been lying. The wooden door at the top of the stairs swung open as the Pony with the glasses came back downstairs, in his mouth was a new bottle of water.

Celestia watched as he sat himself down in front of her and picked up one of the cleaning cloths, beginning to dry up the puddle of water, the same puddle of water that the red knife had been next to moments before. Celestia held her breath as she watched, hoping that he wouldn't notice the knife's absence. The Pony with the glasses cleaned up the puddle without noticing the missing knife, much to Celestia's advantage. She had a flashback to what happen the last time she tried to escape, remembering how much the white stallion hurt her. She had to make this work.

If you don't like gore: scroll down until you see this marker once more.

A moment later the Pony with the glasses leaned over towards the bag, taking his attention off of Celestia as he dug around for a new package of gauze. The Pony with the glasses had no time to turn around before Celestia took the small knife with both hooves and drove it directly into his side. He let out a scream of pain as Celestia pulled the knife out, stabbing him once more in relatively the same spot. He gave out another loud scream as he collapsed on top of the bag of medical supplies, his glasses falling off and bouncing across the floor.

Celestia thought about pulling the knife out of his side and taking it with her, but she knew it was only a matter of time before the White stallion came down. She scrambled to pull herself along the floor and towards the exit of the cell, all the while the Pony with the Glasses groaned in agony from the knife stuck in his side. Celestia looked behind herself just in time to see him pull the knife out of his side, as he did he gave a loud gasp.

Once she had pulled herself closer to the exit, Celestia used the barred door of the cell as a sort of crutch and with much difficulty was able to stand herself up. It was the first time she had stood in nearly seven days (Or at least it had felt like seven, in real time it had only been four), and just the simple act of being upright caused her to become lightheaded, the lack of blood in her system making her feel dizzy. After taking a moment to steady herself, she took one painful step, keeping her left side steadied on the wall of the stairwell. Before she could make it up another step, the wooden door at the top if the stairs flew open, the White stallion and the light blue stallion both exiting from it.

"What in the name of Nightmare Moon is going on down here!?" He exclaimed loudly.

"Stop her!" The Pony with the glasses yelled from the cell.

Celestia's eyes locked with those of the White stallion, who was still standing at the top of the staircase in shock. After realizing that she was trying to escape, both he and the light blue stallion began running down the stairs at Celestia.

"Stay away from me!"

Before Celestia could raise her right leg to defend herself, the White stallion hit her across the side of her head. She was able to raise her right hoof and block another one of the White stallion's blows, but he swiftly moved in with his other hoof and pushed Celestia down the two stairs she had climbed. The height of the steps was just enough for her to loose balance and fall directly on her back, the impact of her landing knocked the air out of her lungs, a loud grunt forcing its way from Celestia's lips. The white stallion came up to the gasping Alicorn, stomping his right hoof down on her throat before pounding his left hoof into her eye several times.

"I guess I was right when I said that the notion of not trying to escape wasn't embedded in you well enough." He said with a tone of disgust, Celestia's fearful eyes glaring up at him as she tried to gasp for air.

After a moment, the White stallion took his hoof off of her throat and looked over at the Pony with the glasses, leaving Celestia to gasp dryly on the floor.

"Are you okay? What did she do?"

"She stabbed me two times." Responded the pony as he reached across the bag and picked up his glasses.

"What?! How did she stab you?!"

"This... worthless Princess took my pocket knife when I wasn't looking!" Responded the Pony with the glasses as he slowly walked over to Celestia and the white stallion, blood slowly dripping from the two small stab wounds in his side.

"Take her over to the shackles on the wall and hang her up, I'll deal with my wounds later." The Pony with the glasses snarled.

The White stallion complied, grasping Celestia's neck with his magic as he dragged her across the bloody floor of the cell, all the while Celestia's back legs flailed in protest. The Pony with the glasses pushed the medical bag and supplies out of the way to allow the White stallion to drag Celestia towards the concrete bench and metal shackles mounted on the wall.

He released his grip on Celestia's neck and held her abdomen with his magic, sitting her up on the bench as he began to clamp the shackles around her front legs and her neck. The Pony with the glasses stepped over, flipping himself around as he reared up and bucked right at the center of Celestia's chest, the sound of several ribs snapping and all of the air in her lungs escaping filled the small cell. The Pony with the glasses turned back around, looking Celestia directly in the eye, her mouth was hanging open and a mixture of saliva and blood was dripping from her bottom lip.

"Can you breath? Huh? I asked you a question, can you breathe?" The Pony with the glasses asked loudly, standing up on his hind legs to look at Celestia eye-level.

After a second Celestia shook her head 'no', a small wheezing sound coming from her lips as she tried to breath.

"Good." The Pony with the glasses said, slamming his right hoof into Celestia's stomach.

He pulled his hoof back and hit her directly in the same spot as before, the impact causing her to let out a small grunt. He pulled his hoof back once more, but instead of landing a blow to her stomach, he placed his hoof firmly at the center of Celestia's chest and began to press. He could feel her ribs snapping loosely beneath his hoof, the pain causing Celestia to wheeze loudly instead of scream.

"Breathing was the one luxury we hadn't taken from you... I supposed that's changed... hasn't it?" The Pony with the glasses asked, each second pressing harder on her broken ribs.

Celestia's only response was to look at him through teary eyes, crying being her only way to express pain as talking, let alone making noises, was strictly curtailed by the lack of air in her lungs.

"And... to think... I was trying to be nice to you!" The Pony with the glasses exclaimed as he released his hoof from Celestia's chest.

After staring her in the eye for a good moment he let himself back down onto all fours.

"White... give me your blade." He commanded, extending his hoof towards the White stallion.

The White stallion quickly undid one of the latches on the metal shoe and slipped it off, sliding it over to the Pony with the glasses who then proceeded to put the shoe on and redo the latch.

"I...I... I'm sorry." Celestia choked, struggling to speak from the pain burning in every inch of her body and (still) lack of air in her lungs.

"Oh, well. It's a little too late for 'sorry', isn't it?"

After making sure that the shoe was on securely, he gave a hard stomp on the ground to deploy the large, concealed blade. The Pony with the glasses stood up on his hind legs like he had before, holding the blade close to Celestia's face so that she could see it.

"If I was allowed to, I'd gouge your eyes out." He said quietly, staring at Celestia as tears dripped down her bloody cheeks.

He brought the blade away from Celestia's face, driving the blade all the way through her right front leg, Celestia let out a scratchy, broken scream of agony.

"If you don't shut up right now, I'll cut out your tongue!" The Pony with the glasses yelled, Celestia doing her best to mute her screams.

He began to slowly twist the blade, Celestia started to cry in pain as tears streamed down her cheeks and her chest shuttered.

"What did I just say?! Do you think I'm lying?" He asked, putting his face close to hers.

Celestia shook her head quickly, trying to get the Pony with the glasses to stop hurting her.

After a moment he began to twist the blade more, the bone in Celestia's leg snapped loudly as it was split open from the blade. Celestia was unable to keep her screams muffled, the agony of the blade snapping her bone and ripping her flesh causing her body to go into shock. Once he had twisted the blade around nearly 45 degrees the Pony with the glasses began to slowly pull the long blade out of Celestia's flesh. The blade finally exited completely, upon its exit blood began gushing out of the wound that penetrated completely through Celestia's front leg. The Pony with the glasses stepped back, pushing the blade back into its protective sheath on the back of the shoe.

"Undo the shackles." He said to the White stallion, his breathing heavy.

The White stallion's horn lit up, his magical aurora surrounding the metal shackles that held Celestia against the wall. A small click emitted from each of the shackles as they came undone, Celestia falling flat on her stomach after their disengagement.

"Remember when Star Yield said 'If she tried to escape beat her until she can't move.'?" Said the Pony with the glasses.

"Yes, I do." Responded the White Stallion, a grin dawning on his face.

The Pony with the glasses took off the golden metal shoe and slid it back over to the White stallion. The White Stallion put the shoe back on his front hoof while the Pony with the glasses knelt down to Celestia, placing his head on the bloody floor in front of hers to meet her eye-level.

"Can you move?" He asked loudly.

Celestia shuttered in response.

The Pony with the glasses lifted up his hoof closest to Celestia, placing it on the side of her head as he began to press, Celestia's eyes squinting from the pain.

"Can. You. Move?" He reiterated

"No...no..." She answered quietly, her tears beginning to turn into sobs.

"Good, maybe I'll finish bandaging your cuts tomorrow," He said after standing up, blood dripping from the side of his face as he had lain it directly in a small puddle of Celestia's blood.

"Can we take care of you now?" The White stallion asked, giving him a concerned look.

"Yes, please," The Pony with the glasses returned as he headed for the exit to the cell.

"Remind me to never make you angry," The White stallion said, looking at the nearly dead Alicorn laying in front of him.

The Pony with the glasses continued to slowly climb the stairs, not giving the faintest sign that he had heard him.

The White stallion levitated the loose medical supplies back into the bag and zipped it up. Before taking the bag and leaving the White stallion used his magic to pull the small string attached to the light that hung from the ceiling, a small click emanated from it and the room went dark. The White stallion's glowing azure eyes were the only things Celestia could see.

"Normally I'd leave the candle on, but I don't think you deserve to see anything but darkness." The White stallion said as he turned to leave.

"You... you're lucky I have t-this thing on my horn. If it wasn't on there... y-you... you'd be dead." Celestia spat, lifting her head to look at the White stallion, her left eye now completely swollen shut.

"You're lucky that we're not allowed to cut anything off of you, because trust me, if your method of punishment was up to me you'd be missing your tongue, wings and horn by this point." He responded, walking out the cell door and up the stairs.

"Y-You aren't leaving this... damned house without a hole in your chest!!" Celestia yelled, her voice shuttering as she began to cry.

The White stallion didn't respond as he finished climbing the stairs and exited from the basement, leaving Celestia to sob quietly in the pitch black concrete cell.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 9: A Furred Friend

Princess Luna and Cloud Drop finally touched down at the front gate of Canterlot Castle, weary from their journey to Ponyville, Canterlot, and back. Oddly enough it had been easier to deliver the news to the second family than the first, Luna would have thought it to be the opposite. Upon landing, Luna noticed several Guards, one of them an Officer, standing behind the gates.

"Princess, I was starting to think you weren't going to make it," The Officer called, his breath very visible in the cold air.

"Apologies for taking so long, strong headwinds are certainly not my favorite thing in the world," Luna responded as she approached the gate, two Guards opening the large, metal doors to allow her entrance.

"We deploy for Stalliongrad in 20 minutes, so I suggest you pack quickly," The Officer explained as he walked along with Cloud Drop and Princess Luna.

"20 minutes? I was under the impression we left at 8 o'clock!" Luna responded in a panicked tone.

"You were either miss-informed or got the times wrong... because right now it's 1741 hours." The Officer said as the group walked up a small flight of stairs and into the throne room.

"Ah! 24 hour time! That must be why I made a mistake in my timing, Cloud Drop informed me of our departure in 24 hour time!" Luna explained.

"No offense, your Majesty, but you might want to brush up on your knowledge of Military time if you're going to be Equestria's ruler. Everyone around here uses 24 hour time."

"You make a fair point. I shall be at the aerodrome after I prepare my belongings," Luna said as she and Cloud Drop split off from the Officer and his accompanying Guards.

"You know, your Highness, you could get a watch," Cloud Drop commented after he and Luna had rounded the corner of the hall, holding up his right leg to display the golden watch he was wearing.

"How might I come to possess a time keeping piece such as your own?"

"I bought mine from the PX, but I'm pretty sure that you could just ask them for one."

"The PX? What might that be?" Luna asked as the two walked down the hall towards Princess Luna's personal quarters.

"It stands for post exchange, it's like a little general store, but it's on base." Cloud Drop explained.

"When I return I believe I'll look into purchasing my own watch," Luna said as she opened the doors to her quarters and stepped inside.

"Well, I'll let you pack your things if you don't mind me leaving."

"No, not at all. I suppose I shall see you when I return." Luna responded, looking up momentarily.

"Have an enjoyable flight."

Luna gave a genial smile in response, Cloud taking the gesture as a signal the conversation had ended and when on his own way.

"So you say that Twilight's spending a week at Canterlot Castle. What exactly is she there for?" Star Yield said, his glowing azure eyes standing out in the fire-lit room.

"Princess Luna requested her presence. She needed someone of experience to keep things afloat while she talks things out in Stalliongrad."

Star Yield scoffed at the idea.

"I should say this brings concern. She's going to be harder to keep an eye on without arousing suspicion and she has VERY easy access to the Royal Canterlot Library." Cloud Drop explained.

"And what does the Royal Canterlot Library have to do with anything?" Star responded, standing up from his desk.

"The Royal Canterlot Library is home to nearly every single official archive, including the archives of the "crash" Celestia was in."

"Hm. And how accurate are these, archives?"

"Very, but there are several things not mentioned in the report. A few of our brothers and sisters were part of the investigation team."

Star Yield looked into the roaring fire in the fireplace for a moment before speaking back up.

"Anypony and everypony must check in and out with the Librarian at the front desk of the Library, especially if they're going to be looking at official Royal archives. You should try to convince Luna to have access to the more sensitive documents cut off completely unless they are high-level staff such as yourself."

"That shouldn't be too hard, considering most of the documents aren't particularly open to public viewing. I'll see what I can do."

Star Yield levitated a beverage off of his desk, taking a sip as he thought of anything else important to mention.

"Why are you not deploying to Stalliongrad with the rest of the forces? Celestia dragged you nearly everywhere she went," He said, the beverage still floating in his magic.

"Princess Luna wanted me to stay, I'm going to be assisting with heavy administrative work while she's gone."

"Even our leader doesn't have much faith in Celestia's little pet."

A few moments of silence passed, occasionally interrupted by a loud pop from the fireplace.

"Anything else to report?" Star Yield asked, not looking up from the paperwork before him.

"Not that I can think of currently."

"Alright. Have a safe flight back."

Cloud Drop walked to the door of Star Yield's office, opening the extremely decorative door and stepping out into the hallway. After gently shutting the door behind himself, Cloud Drop made his way out of Star Yield's superfluously decorative home and back onto the cold, quiet streets of Canterlot.

It was an eerie sight to see Canterlot so quiet. Normally the streets were packed with all of the wealthy Gentlecolts and mares making their usual rounds to and from various stores, but only a few heavily dressed ponies shuffled through the cold streets, most of them seemed to be making trips to the market to get food and water instead of going to luxury shopping centers to buy extravagant clothing items and jewelry. Cloud Drop often looked down on such extravagant spending behavior as selfish and gluttonous when others looked up to it.

As Cloud Drop walked he noticed just how cold it had become, apart from being cold himself. Nearly every plant was either wilted or dead from frost-bite, every house and street lamp coated in ice and frost, the temperature of the air being so cold that any moisture in the air that came into contact with a solid object instantly froze to it.

After exiting from the mostly residential area he had been in, he found himself in an intersection. Cloud was about to turn left down an adjacent street, but a strange sound caught his attention, it had sounded like a squeak or a chirp. After standing completely still for several seconds the small peep sounded once more, and he was able to assess that the sound had come from his right. His eye searched the area he believed the sound had come from, finding nothing but snow-covered bushes and frozen over benches.

Once again, the strange peep sounded, and after searching for several more seconds Cloud Drop spotted what had been making the sound.

Looking directly at him, was a pair of eyes and a small pink nose, the rest of the creature's face seemed to be as white as the snow concealing its position. After staring for several more seconds he realized the creature was a kitten, and with wide eyes, Cloud Drop slowly began to approach the kitten's position.

As Cloud closed in, the kitten made an unexpected move; with a bound, the kitten hopped from behind its snowy cover and closed the gap between itself and Cloud Drop. The kitten stopped a little bit in front of him, shaking a dusting of snow off its back.

"How in the name of Celestia have you survived out in this cold?" Cloud Drop asked the kitten, kneeling down on the snowy street to get on the same level as the kitten.

The white kitten responded with a little mew.

That tiny sound had such an odd effect. It was like a spell. It caused something deep in him to feel warm, and forced a smile to his lips.

"Here, come here little guy." Cloud Drop said as he reached out with his 2 front hooves, picking the kitten up off the ground.

He sat on his hind legs, looking at the kitten for several moments.

It meowed at him again.

"I know... it's cold, both of us should probably get inside." Cloud Drop said, pretending that the kitten had spoken of how cold it was.

After thinking for a moment, Cloud Drop devised a way to carry the kitten and keep it warm at the same time. He set the kitten back down on the ground and stood up, right as he did the kitten made it very clear that it was upset by meowing loudly.

"I'm not gonna leave you, come here," He told the kitten as he picked it up with a single hoof.

Cloud Drop lifted up his right wing and held the kitten close to his side as he re-lowered his wing in order to hold the kitten. After removing his hoof from under the kitten he made sure that it was firmly placed under his wing, and wouldn't fall out. He was satisfied and began to continue down the street with his fuzzy companion en-wing.

He had done things considered by others to be odd things in his life, but rescuing a kitten off of the streets of Canterlot was up on his list. After walking down the cold street for several minutes he realized that he couldn't fly and keep the kitten under his wing at the same time.

He looked over his shoulder at Star Yield's home, the idea that he could get some sort of bag that he could store the kitten in for safe transport (not to demean the value of the kitten to no more than a parcel) popped into his head. After knocking on the front door, Star Yield's assistant opened the door, her glowing, cat-like eyes shining through the darkness of the outside.

"Back so early?" She asked without noticing the kitten tucked under Cloud Drops' wing.

"Yes, I need to get some sort of bag."

"A... A bag? Oh! Where did you find that little guy?" The Assistant said, her usually serious demeanor changing to one of joy upon seeing the small, white kitten.

"Actually, I found him just down the street from here, that's why I need the bag, I can't fly and carry him at the same time." Cloud Drop explained as he walked into the home and into the large living room adjacent to the entry hall.

"Well, I'll go see what I can do for you in the way of a bag," Said the Assistant as she left the room.

Cloud Drop looked around the extravagant and large living room before sitting down on one of the two couches across from the fireplace, setting the kitten down on the coffee table that lay in between the couches.

The kitten stood looking at Cloud Drop for a moment before turning away and pacing about the table, sniffing the vase, drink coasters and newspaper that lay on the table. Cloud couldn't help but smile at just how cute the kitten was, even though it wasn't doing anything extraordinary.

"I found this old sattle bag in one of the closets downstairs, do you think it'll work?" Said the Assistant as she entered the room, a worn, brown sattle bag floating in her magical aurora.

"Yep, this will work perfectly."
Cloud Drop said as he examined the bag.

The Assistant sat down on the adjacent couch as she looked at the kitten, her smile out-shining her glowing eyes.

"Have you thought of a name for him yet?" She asked.

The kitten blurted out a loud mew.

"No, I haven't. Meow might be a good name, seeing as that's one of the thing's he's good at doing." He joked.

The sound of hoof steps began to lightly echo in the room, moments later Star Yield appeared in the entrance of the living room. He stood, staring blankly at the kitten and Cloud Drop.

"Where did the cat come from?" He asked, entering the room.

"Found him outside in the snow... well, I guess he found me." Cloud Drop responded.

"Wow... how did this little guy stay alive out there? It's so darn cold."

"No idea. He doesn't seem to be owned by anypony, he doesn't have a collar."

"It must have been hard to see him, his fur is so white he probably looked like a lump of snow with eyes and a nose." Star Yield said.

"He did. It took me a minute to see him. I never would've known he was there if he hadn't meowed at me." Cloud Drop responded as he petted the kitten's little head with his hoof.

"So, why did you come back? Wanted to show us your find?"

"I needed a bag to carry him in. I was originally going to carry him under my wing so he'd stay warm, but... I can't fly with a kitten under my wing. You don't mind me taking this bag off your hooves, do you?" Cloud Drop asked, holding up the old saddle bag.

"That old thing? Heaven's no, please take it. I've been meaning to get rid of it."

Cloud Drop held the flap of one of the two pockets on the saddle bag open, holding it close to the kitten. The kitten looked at the bag, after sniffing it several times he climbed inside of the bag.

"I was wondering if that would work." Cloud Drop said jokingly, looking at the kitten in the bag.

After adjusting the bag he stood up, carefully slinging the saddle bag over his flanks.

"Leaving?" Star Yield asked.

"Yes, I wanted to get back in time to see Luna's flight leave, but I think it might have left already."

"Have a safe flight back." Star added as Cloud Drop walked out of the living room and out the front door.

Princess Luna exited from Canterlot Castle's ATC (Air Traffic Control) to the large paved area known as the tarmac, her two luggage bags making a very distinctive clunk every time their small, rubber and plastic wheels passed over a crack.

"Are we ready to depart yet, Corporal?" She asked as she approached a rather tall Pegasus, his figure bulkier than normal because of the thick, white winter coat he wore over his standard armor.

"We would be, but there's a problem with the helicopters."

"What is the issue?" Luna asked back, her voice holding a tone of concern.

"Not that it's your fault... but the extreme cold has made it nearly impossible to start the engines. Not to mention there's heavy ice build-up along the main rotors and anti-torque rotors, and all of that ice could cause a lot of problems if we were to start the engines and get the blades spinning."

"Why would the ice cause problems?" Luna asked inquisitively.

"Well, the added weight of the ice can cause structural stress on both the rotors and the hub, and one blade could have more ice than another, which would cause an oscillation, which could completely destroy the aircraft." The Captain explained as they walked across the snowy tarmac towards the helicopters.

"You also explained that the engines are not responsive, why is that?"

"Could be any number of things, frozen fuel lines, ice in the piston walls, ice on the drive and crank shaft, frozen coolant, we don't really know at the moment. All I can say for sure is that hot water does not work; one of my flight engineers had the idea to pour hot water on the piston housings, and the water froze faster than you could say 'stop pouring'."

"Does this mean we won't be able to send the required forces to aid Stalliongrad?"

"Oh, no, by no means. We'll just be delayed a few hours, if that. The fact that there is ice isn't the issue, the fact we don't know where the ice is is the problem."

Luna gave a sigh of relief.

"If we will not be departing for the next while, should I return to my personal quarters? I had several tasks I wished to complete before we departed."

"Sure. When we get the ice problem sorted out I'll send somepony to get you."

With a nod, Luna turned back towards the door of the ATC, happy to be able to get out of the cold. Upon walking out of the ATC and walking into one of the many large hallways of Canterlot Castle Luna spotted a familiar figure coming down the hall towards her; it was Cloud Drop.

"You're flight hasn't left yet?" Cloud Drop called from aways down the hall.

"No, the helicopter crews are having some issues with ice."

"Well, that's kind of good; I wanted to suggest something to you." Cloud spoke as the two began walking.

"Oh, what would that be?"

"Well, you are aware of the Royal Library's Incident Report and Investigation section?"

"Uh... yes, I am, why?"

"I honestly think it would be advisable for a mandate to be put out restricting access to the more sensitive documents, like the Investigation report of the crash."

"And exactly why would this be advisable?"

"It keeps newspapers from spreading rumors. It's happened in the past, which is why there's already some pretty hefty restrictions on Investigation documents."

Luna paused in thought.

"How would I go about doing this?"

"Well, you'd have to consult the Library administrators first and have the mandate written with them, but I can have that done, seeing as you're leaving soon." Cloud explained further.

"If you do think it would be best, have it done! The last thing I need is rumors, anyway. I have enough trouble just getting up in the morning."

"Understood, I'll have the mandate created."

The two fell silent as the topic of discussion ran dry, Luna beginning to think of other things.

"I hear this flight will be around two days long, but to my knowledge, these helicopters can only stay in the air for a mere 3 hours. How exactly do they get from Equestria to Stalliongrad?" Luna spoke after a while's silence.

"There's a network of refueling posts and bases. I've been on many flights to Stalliongrad, and let me tell you, the flight will not be just a day. The helicopters have to stop and refuel, which only takes a few minutes, but each helicopter has to refuel, so that can take almost two hours as a whole. Not to mention, the crews and troops have to rest, so that takes up quite a bit of time as well. Two days would be nice, but it'll be around three, four if there's weather."

Luna groaned in an unwilling manner.

"Three whole days... this will not be a fun flight."

"As long as the crew you get assigned with is fun one, you should be fine."

A few seconds later, the group fell silent, Luna's attention going from the conversation to an object Cloud was in possession of.

"Might I ask what you have in your bag?" Luna asked, her eyes locked on the old saddle bag resting on Cloud Drop's flanks.

"It's sort of a long story." He chuckled in response, not wanting to admit what he had in the bag.

Luna didn't respond, she seemed to have lost her curiosity.

"The date is the twenty-third, correct?" She asked after a while.

"Yes, it is."

Luna gave a small 'hm' of thought in response.

"It is only 2 days from Hearth's Warming, and I shall be absent for both it and Hearth's Warming Eve... do you wish for me to reveal my... my Sister's gift to you now or when I return?"

"Oh? Well... I suppose I should see it now." Cloud Drop responded as the two walked.

After several more minutes of walking down the cold halls, the duo came to the doors of Luna's private quarters. Luna opened the doors with her magic, stepping inside and going directly to her writing desk, setting her luggage down on the floor beside it.

"Now, before I reveal what Celestia's gift to you was, I wish to know what is in your bag." Luna said as she sat down at her desk.

Cloud Drop gave no words of protest as he reached behind himself and took the bag off of his back with his mouth, carefully setting it on the floor. Without any further input from Cloud Drop, the bag fell over on its own, the flap of the bag remaining closed as it had been trapped under the bag. After a few seconds, the bag began wiggling slightly, whatever was inside of it was trying to get out. Eventually, the bag's captive was able to push the flap open to reveal itself, the small white kitten poking it's head out of the opening to look around the new room it was in.

"You had a kitten?! Where in the world did you get a kitten?"

"I found him outside in the snow. I would have have seen him if he hadn't meowed at me."

The kitten looked up to Luna, mewing.

Luna melted before the kitten, exclaiming in glee as she stood up from her chair, kneeling down in front of the kitten as she petted down the length of the kitten's soft , fuzzy back, the kitten purring loudly as it pranced in circles, clearly enjoying the attention.

"He's absolutely adorable..."

"Yeah, the little guy is pretty cute."

"Pretty cute? Why, I should be tempted to say the cutest! And he is so soft!"

"So, can I see what my gift is?" Cloud Drop asked after a moment.

"Oh! Yes!" Luna said as she stood up from her position near the kitten.

Luna's dark blue magical aurora surrounded an object on her desk, the object slowly floating out from its hiding spot. It became apparent that the object was some sort of rolled up document, but Cloud Drop couldn't tell just exactly what it was.

"I shall give you the honors of unrolling it." Luna said with a grin as she floated the rather large blue paper to him.

Cloud Drop set the paper on the floor and used his hooves to unroll it, seconds later he realized that the paper was the blueprints for a home, a rather large one.

"W-wait... why would she give me..." Cloud said, his face holding a look of confusion.

"My sister had told me that your current home was of poor quality, and that she couldn't think of a better gift for her friend." Luna answered.

"A...A new house? B-but... I..." He struggled in return.

Cloud Drop stared at the document for a moment before looking up at Luna, a dim smile resting on her lips. Luna could see a tear slowly roll down Cloud Drop's cheek as he stared mouth agape at the blueprints, his mind struggling to process the mix of emotions he felt.

"This is more than I ever could have asked her for." He said softly, his voice cracking as sorrow and regret took over his thoughts.

"My sister's gifts have always been rather extravagant," Luna commented, tears of her own beginning to roll down her cheeks.

Cloud Drop's look of awe slowly turned to a smile, a single tear dripping to the floor. It was taking every ounce of his being to keep from bursting into tears and confessing to Luna that her sister was not dead and being tortured in some house in the middle of the Black Forest of Stalliongrad. There was a quick knock on the door, both Luna and Cloud Drop looking up towards the door.

"Princess, the Helicopters are ready to leave!" A deep male voice called through the door.

"Oh. Alright, I shall be out in only a moment!" Luna called back.

She stood up from her chair and levitated her two bags off of the floor.

"Where did that fuzzball run off to..." Cloud Drop mumbled as he stood up, walking into the living room that was adjacent to Luna's desk.

"Did you say something?" Luna asked, looking after Cloud Drop as he went behind a wall in the other room.

"Yes, I asked where this kitten had gone, but I found him." Cloud Drop responded after rounding the corner, the white kitten perched happily on his back.

Luna giggled at the sight.

"Your feline companion certainly degrades your usual intimidating manner." She said jokingly as she walked towards the door, her two luggage bags wheeling behind her.

"I'm well aware, your highness."

After placing the kitten in the saddle bag then the saddle bag on his back Cloud Drop trotted down the hall to catch up to Princess Luna and the Royal Guard that had been sent to fetch her.

"If you don't mind, your highness, I'd like to return home for a while and return my 'package'."

"Your absence would not be an issue, I am departing soon."

With that, Cloud Drop turned around and began down the hallway in the opposite direction.

A little while's walk lead Luna and the Guard to the Tarmac, the rumble of 19 helicopters idling on the runway shaking the very earth. The cacophony of noise became worse and worse as they got closer, Luna's ears beginning to hurt. One of the ground crew members trotted to Luna and handed her a white headset, which she quickly put on. The headset's only function currently would be ear protection, but once she was inside one of the aircraft it would become a fully capable headset. The ground crew pointed towards the second helicopter in the flight, which was only a few spots down.

Luna gave a nod and made her way down the runway towards the aircraft. Upon reaching her designated aircraft one of the ground crew members that had been standing nearby took her solitary bag and climbed into the open side door of the aircraft, seconds later he emerged without the bag. He gave her the okay and Luna climbed up and into the short, crowded cabin. The 18 Royal Guard's Soldiers simultaneously looked at the Princess, who was slightly stunned by the sudden attention.

After hearing a loud tapping, Luna looked over to the pilot of the aircraft, who was signaling where she should plug in her headset at. She found the connector and hooked up to the intercom of the aircraft, the primitive speakers in the headset crackling to life.

"Welcome aboard, your highness." The pilot, an older stallion with a rough voice, spoke after she connected her headset.

"Thank you, and I hope this flight will be a good one."

"No guarantees." He responded, turning back around in his seat to face the complex instrument panel before him.

Luna turned to meet the 18 Soldiers she was crammed into the aircraft with, each one dressed in dark green coats instead of their usual armor, the two main causes of no armor were that it was extremely cold and the extra weight of the gold plated armor would make it impossible for the aircraft to carry more soldiers. She felt as if she was disrespecting them with her presence. A clean, regal Princess was a certain misfit for a group of cold, hardened troops.

Even her luggage was in complete contrast to the cargo being carried within the fairly small cargo hold. Her black luggage bag very much stood out against the several Olive Drab duffle bags filled with food, weapons, medical supplies and a pair of wooden crates. (both of which had unknown contents to Luna)

"So, are we hoping to see combat if I fail to resolve this issue?" She asked the Soldiers, each one had their own headset.

"I got a girlfriend waiting back in Trottingham, and this close to Hearth's Warming? I'll pass." A Soldier to Luna's left spoke, his voice distorted ever so slightly by the engine noise and static.

"Some combat would be interesting. Most of us haven't ever actually seen combat. It's always just drills." Spoke another Soldier.

There was a collective murmur of agreement over the intercom as a large proportion of the Soldiers agreed. As speech died down, Luna looked up at the black rectangular intercom control box near her position and investigated the switches, one of them was labeled 'ATC' in small, white lettering. The button wasn't clicked inward. With her magic, Luna clicked the small button, upon being depressed inward her ears were filled with the intelligible chatter between the tower and the crews of the aircraft waiting to take off.

"...call from Foxtrot 9,0; she is reporting rudder control issues." A female voice stated.

"Rudder control issues? 9,0's bird always has issues." Spoke a different, male voice.

"It's not the machine, it's the operator." Somepony joked.

"Tower, 9,0 here; I'm gonna shut down the bird, have ground take a look at the shaft and the linkages." A deeper female voice, who Luna guessed was the pilot of this Foxtrot 9,0, spoke.

"Copy that."

"Somepony should tell Princess Luna to order us some new heli's. These things are new and they're already old." The same female voice spoke, the frustration clear in her tone.

"Why don't you ask her, she's in the aircraft 5 spots in front of you."

"I doubt she's on this frequency."

"Your doubt was misplaced, Foxtrot 9,0." Luna spoke, a small smile growing on her lips as she spoke.

There was a second of silence before the channel erupted in laughter.

"Good job, Fox, now we're never getting those new birds!" A male voice laughed over the radio.

The collective laughter only lasted a moment more before every pony on the channel had calmed down and resumed their work.

"Alright, Foxtrot 9,0, while we were all having a fit the ground guys found the issue with your chopper, third linkage down the line was unhooked but they fixed it." The female voice of the air controller spoke.

"Copy that, rudder is back working fine."

"Ugh, someone get ground and tell them to close the aft fuel port on Hotel 8,5's bird." Groaned the air controller.

"Who left my door open?" The assumed pilot of Hotel 8,5 asked.

"Don't know, but they just got it closed. Okay, all final checks completed?" The air controller asked.

"Alpha 3,1; complete."
"Bravo 4,5; complete."
"Charlie 0,1; A-OK here."
"Delta 2,0; complete."
"Echo 1,1; check."
"Foxtrot 9,4; All good."
"Golf 6,2; check."
"Hotel 7,7; good."
"India 8,3; clear."
"Julia 4,7; complete."
"Kilo 5,3; ten outta ten."
"Lima 1,9; complete."
"Mike 8,7; all clear."
"November 0,0; good."
"Oscar 4,3; complete."
"Papa 6,6; cool."
"Quebec 5,0; all good."
"Romeo 9,6; clear."
"Sierra 0,0; all good."

"That does it then. All callsigns, clear for take off, get off my runway." Air control spoke.

"Copy that!" Each pilot spoke almost simultaneously.

Luna felt the helicopter begin to go up and, ever so gradually, pick up forward speed. After what Cloud had told her a half hour ago, it seemed most of her entertainment would come from speaking with the crews of the other helicopters as opposed to her own, seeing as her Pilot didn't seem to be the fun loving type. She hoped the humor of the other Pilots and those within the aircraft would make up for that.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 10: Blinded

Author's Note

Just skip to chapter 11 if you're a weakling.

Nº 10: Blinded

Celestia had wondered what the feeling was, but she had finally put a hoof on it. It was the feeling of complete resignation. She didn't want to be alive anymore; there wasn't any point. After her last escape attempt, she had realized that she would never be able to escape without the help of some kind of miracle.

Even if she did get out, what then? She had no idea where she was or how much distance was between her and the nearest village. Her current state of health would certainly restrain her from making it very far, and her health was only going to get worse. There had always been the thought in the back of her mind that this is how she would meet her end, being immortal meant she could never have a 'normal' death. No laying in a bed surrounded by loved ones, just laying on a cold, bloody, concrete floor while waiting for the end to come.

As it had done every day for the past week and a half that Celestia had been in the blood splotched cell, the wooden door at the top of the stairs opened. Normally she would yell profanities of some type at the three ponies, but in this moment she couldn't choke up any words for them.

The only thing her mind could focus on was the aching pain in all of her body and the burning hunger in her stomach, she had noticed that her ribs were visible and that her belly had started to shrink in size. Only having a single meal a day that consist of only rice and old bread took its toll very quickly. She had only eaten 6 times since her arrival, so hunger was more of a problem than the physical pain from her wounds.

The barred door of the cell opened, the small light hanging from the ceiling clicked on as they entered. She noticed instantly that the Light Blue Stallion was absent, but she couldn't care enough to ask the reason. She preferred his cause of absence to be his death, but she knew that she wasn't that lucky. The other two ponies were positioned as they usually were, the White Stallion at the center of the room with the pony with the glasses off to his side.

Floating in the White Stallion's magic was the usual plate of horrible victuals that she was forced to eat. The Pony with the Glasses still had a bandage wrapped around his torso from when she had stabbed him a few days ago. Even after Celestia had inflicted his wound the Pony with the Glasses had come back down and finished bandaging her wounds.

"Supper's on." The White Stallion said in a plain tone as he set the food down in front of Celestia.

She just stared at the food. Maybe if she didn't eat, even for one day, all of the pain would finally end.

"Just like rehearsal; you eat the food and we all go home." The White Stallion mocked.

Silence fell back over the room as Celestia continued to hold her silence.

"Do I have to cram the food down your throat, or are you gonna eat it?"

"I'll give you a place to cram the food," Celestia responded quietly.

The White Stallion walked over to Celestia, took her head with his magic and slammed her face into the plate of food, the plate shattering from the impact. He brought her head back up, blood was now dripping from several cuts on her mouth, face, and nose. A few pieces of rice were stuck to her face in several places.

"You keep getting dumber and dumber, don't you?"

He took a shard of broken glass off of the floor with his magic and stabbed it into Celestia's already severely damaged left leg, causing her to yelp in pain. The shard was then pulled down nearly half the length of her foreleg, Celestia let out a screech of pure pain as her leg was sliced open. The Stallion removed the shard of glass from the wound, dark red blood flowing from the foot-long cut. Celestia looked at the wound with a rather neutral expression, normally she had looked surprised or scared.

"I bet this thing hurt a lot more than the knife, didn't it?" He asked, looking at the blood-soaked shard of glass in his magic.

"D-do it again..." Celestia mumbled.

"What?"

"Y-you heard me, you idiot. Cut me again!" She yelled, hoping that the White Stallion would eventually inflict enough damage that she would finally pass.

The White Stallion didn't comply, he only looked at Celestia with a confused look.

Celestia laughed dryly.

"And now... you won't do it! You couldn't kill me if your life depended on it! Come on, stab me again!" She exclaimed.

The White Stallion's face went from confusion to concern. Celestia sat herself up a bit, despite the pain in her legs and the extreme pain from her new wound. She placed her right front leg on the concrete seat underneath the restraints on the wall and began to stand up, her muscles struggling to hold her weight. The only thing keeping her from sliding back to the floor was the idea of death.

"Come on, hurt me some more! You seem to like fighting, why won't you fight me now? Do you only care to fight when I'm laying on the damn floor?!" Celestia screamed, slowly pulling herself into a fully standing position.

He looked a little frightened, as did the Pony with the glasses. He had a right to fear her; she was more than twice his size (tall enough to warrant her to hold her head low to prevent her unusually long horn from scraping the ceiling) and, if not for her wounds, could easily overpower both of them; as well the Light blue Stallion if he had been present. The look on her face and the combination of her blackened eye and fresh cuts made her look as if she had lost her mind.

Celestia had grown tired of the White Stallion not doing anything; without warning the bloodied Alicorn swung her left leg through the air as hard as she could and landed a powerful blow to the side of the White Stallion's head, causing him to fall over. A pain equivalent to having her leg broken shot though Celestia's nerves, but she was able to regain her balance and not fall over. The White Stallion quickly stood back up and equally as quickly swept Celestia's right leg out from under her. She hit the floor with a loud thud and moments after her impact the White Stallion had deployed the concealed blade from his shoe and made an advance on her.

Before he was able to inflict another wound to her collection, Celestia landed a hard kick to the White Stallion's chest with her back legs. He stumbled backward and gasped for air, it was evident that she had effectively knocked the wind out of him. An aurora of magic began to surround Celestia's back hooves, restraining them from further retaliation. Celestia burst out laughing, staring into the rage-filled eyes of the White Stallion.

"How does it feel to have the tables turned? Need your magic and knife to get the upper hoof on me?!" She taunted, a maniacal smile pasted on her lips.

Celestia's torso and front legs became surrounded by the White Stallion's magical aurora in addition to her rear legs, restraining her completely as he moved her body in order to attach the metal, wall-mounted shackles on her. After struggling for a second the White Stallion was able to sit Celestia down on the concrete seat and fully restrain her with the shackles. The metal restraints only accommodated Celestia's neck and front legs, her back legs still had total freedom to kick and flail all they wanted.

"Who's the idiot that designed this place without back leg restraints?" The White Stallion said after nearly being kicked in the face by Celestia.

"Maybe you should ask your 'Mother' Nightmare Moon, or your 'Glorious Leader' Luna! They might provide some insight!" Celestia cackled in response.

The White Stallion stood up on his hind legs and slammed his hoof into Celestia's stomach, a loud grunt escaping from her blood-covered lips.

"Keep talking, you're only making it harder for yourself." He spat in return.

"If only you were as handsome as you are stupid. Didn't it ever occur to you that I might want you to keep hurting me? Put 2 and 2 together... I don't want to live anymore!" She exclaimed.

"Maybe you should try putting 2 and 2 together. We don't want you to want to live. In fact, one of my goals was to make you want to die!" The Stallion said.

Celestia spat a mixture of blood and saliva onto the White Stallion's face; the Stallion standing a moment before he turned around and exited from the cell, walked up the stairs and left through the wooden door, leaving the Pony with the Glasses to stare wildly at Celestia.

"I think I made him mad." Spoke Celestia, her attention on the Doctor.

"You've gone mad..." Red Hoof returned.

The door at the top of the stairs flew open as the White Stallion entered, he had something floating in his magic. After trotting down the stairs, it became apparent that he was transporting a spoon and a small gas powered stove, one used for cooking cans of food on an open flame.

"Did you bring that to warm my dinner back up?" Celestia asked as she watched the White Stallion turn the burner on and hold the spoon over it with his magic.

"You seem to have a few open wounds. If I'm correct, we're running low on bandages. I think that melting your wounds shut might work just as well." The White Stallion responded, a malicious tone in his voice.

He watched as Celestia's face went from a grin to a concerned look. The White Stallion brought the spoon away from the flame and held it up, it was glowing a very dim red. He levitated the spoon up and stepped towards Celestia. Before she could say a single word in retaliation the red-hot spoon was stabbed directly into the foot-long gash along her leg.

Celestia's scream rang through the concrete cell, her voice beginning to crack from the constant strain put on her vocal cords. After what felt like an eternity of pain for Celestia, the Stallion finally pulled the spoon from her wound, the once glowing hot piece of metal leaving a bloody, dark red spot on the deep cut.

"There! Now that big cut of yours is all sealed up!" The Stallion exclaimed as he lowered the spoon back onto the flame.

"Come b-back over here... I'll kick... every tooth out of your stupid skull!"

The stallion's horn lit up and the three shackles holding Celestia to the wall unclicked. Her back legs slipped out from under her as she slid to the floor. She was left sitting, her back resting on the concrete seat. The Stallion quickly spun himself around and landed a violent kick at the center of Celestia's chest. The impact caused all of the air in her lungs to escape with a loud grunt.

The Stallion took Celestia's neck with his magic and violently flung her to the center of the cell. He stood over her, raising his hoof and bringing it down over and over again on her face, blood beginning to splatter on the floor and the White Stallion's chest. After hearing a loud crack, the Stallion stopped and lifted his hoof from Celestia's face. She was nearly beyond recognition, her jaw and nose now broke, blood pouring from both of her nostrils.

"That's enough! You're going to kill her!" Red Hoof exclaimed.

"G-good..." Celestia managed to say, her broken jaw barely allowing her to form the word.

The White Stallion lifted her head off of the floor and slammed it back down as hard as he could. Her head was brought down on the floor once more, the end of the beating coming not from the White Stallion's mercy, but from him noticing her odd behavior. Celestia's body had tensed as her mind began to lose function. Her legs had begun a violent twitch, jaw chattering and eyelids fluttering as she convulsed on the floor. The White Stallion's face turned to an expression of confusion as he watched the ordeal, blood and saliva starting to foam from her mouth.

"She's having a damn seizure!" Red Hoof yelled as he ran for the cell door, his goal to retrieve his medical bag.

The White Stallion stepped off of Celestia, watching in slight horror as she convulsed violently, every muscle in her body tensed and shaking. The seizure had become worse, her back legs thrusting in a violent manner and her eyes were squeezed shut. Moments later the Pony with the glasses came running down the stairs with the large medical bag on his back. He quickly dropped the bag on the floor and dug around before taking out a small vial and a syringe.

Red Hoof stuck the needle into the vial and extracted a precise amount of the liquid despite his shaking hooves, with the medicine loaded into the syringe, he attempted to inject Celestia's relatively undamaged right back leg, but her sporadic kicking made such a task impossible,

"Hold her legs still!" He yelled, looking over to the White Stallion.

The Stallion's magic surrounded Celestia's hooves and allowed the Pony with the glasses to carefully stick the needle into her leg. With the plunger depressed and all of the liquid cleared from the cylinder, Red Hoof pulled the needle from Celestia's vain and threw it to the side. With the medicine taking its effect, the Pony with the Glasses turned back to his large medical bag, took out a clean cloth and wadded it into a ball. He used a hoof to hold Celestia's mouth open as he stuffed the cloth into her mouth.

"What's that supposed to help!?" Exclaimed the White Stallion with a perplexed look on his face.

"It'll keep her from biting her own tongue off!"

Celestia's convulsing had slowed as the medicine worked its way through her veins, the violent kicking of her legs slowing to a tremble as she finally began to regain control over her own body and mind. The Pony with the Glasses took the cloth from her mouth and threw it aside, lifting her head off the floor as he examined her one open eye to make sure she had in fact regained consciousness. Her breathing was extremely heavy and her eyes appeared to have no reaction to the light, something that was a cause of concern.

"Celestia, are you awake?" He asked, patting the side of her face with his hoof.

No movement came from the Alicorn, her chest still heaving up and down.

"Can you hear me?"

Celestia's eyes moved away from Red Hoof's face and moved around the room, the movement becoming frantic as her head moved side to side as if she was desperately looking for something.

"Uugh... I... I can-t...." She mumbled in a whisper.

"What?"

"I can't see." Celestia repeated, her voice becoming more worried and frantic.

"Is everything just blurry or can you really not see?"

"It's all black... e-everything." She mumbled in response, her voice shaky as tears began welling up in her eyes.

Red Hoof turned to look at the White Stallion with a deeply angered look.

"I don't think you realize exactly what you've caused here."

"How in the world would me hitting her head cause her to go blind!?" The White Stallion argued.

"You hit the back of her head, and you know what's back there? The occipital cortex, which you have obviously done serious damage to due to the fact that she can't see and the fact that she had a seizure!" Barked Red Hoof.

"Well, is there any way to fix it?"

"Time. We need to watch for blood coming from her ears and swelling, that would indicate bleeding from her brain."

He gave a sigh and looked over Celestia's beaten and bloodied body, her old wounds needed new dressings.

"I uh... I'm gonna tend to her wounds, these bandages need to be replaced to prevent infections."

"B-but I thought that... I thought you were low on bandages." Celestia whimpered, tears of pain and fear running down her cheeks.

Neither Red Hoof or White Dust responded.

It had taken another ten minutes for the Pony with the glasses to finish helping Celestia. He came out of the door that led to the basement and threw his medical bag into the corner, the bag creating a loud thud that echoed through the floorboards of the home. The Pony leaned himself against the wall of the hallway with his head low for a moment before looking up at the White Stallion, who was sitting with his head resting on his hoof in the living room.

"Alright... okay. You've officially taken it too far. I don't care what you think, but from now on, you will not hurt her anymore." He said firmly.

"Oh, what, do you feel sorry for her? She doe-"

"I don't care about her, I care about the fact that her body and mind are going to be the vessel we use to bring our Mother back into this world! You... you hit her head hard enough for her to have a damn seizure, and judging by how she can't remember a single thing from the past ten minutes, I'd say that you've caused minor brain damage!" The Pony explained.

"It's minor, so how d-"

"It doesn't matter if it's minor, it's brain damage, nothing about brain damage is minor! Star Yield's magic heals surface wounds, not brain damage! What if Nightmare Moon comes back and can't remember who she is and what she's supposed to be doing! If you want to be the idiot responsible for ruining everything we've all worked for, be my guest. I'm going to bed."

The White Stallion sat silently as he watched the Pony with the glasses turn around and walk down the hallway. After staring blankly at the table in front of him the Stallion stood up and walked into the kitchen and began preparing Celestia a new meal, seeing as how the last meal she was presented had been destroyed. It took a little while longer, but after a few minutes, the Stallion had made a nice sandwich and a bowl of soup.

With the sandwich and soup was added a spoon and glass of water; subsequently, these four items were placed onto a carry tray as the White Stallion exited the kitchen on his way to the basement. Yellow light poured from the entrance once he had opened the door, the Pony with the Glasses had not turned off the light.

He walked down the steps and stopped in front of the metal barred door, Celestia was lying on her side facing towards the door, tears streaming down her cheeks, teeth clenched and eyes squeezed shut. As much as he disliked her, something about the look on her face caused his heart a little ache. White Dust unlocked the barred metal door and stepped in, his appearance causing no disturbance to Celestia.

"Brought you some food." He spoke, trying to get her attention.

"W-why?" Celestia exclaimed, her tears slurring her words.

"Because you need it?"

"N-no... Why w-wound my sister do this to me!? I-I've never done anything to her!!" She cried.

White Dust stood for a moment, trying to think of a good response.

"I... I've always loved her, I've loved her more than anything in the world, and t-this is what I get for that!?"

White instantly wanted to retort, giving her reasons for why she was where she was, but he didn't want to fan the flames. He was already annoyed with her sobbing and didn't need the extra layer of her screaming about how she had been nice to Luna for so long.

"Look, just shut up and try to eat something. This isn't the typical food, either. I made you some nice soup and a sandwich," White said as he set the plate down in front of Celestia.

She felt around in front of her for the plane, tears dripping from her cheeks to the floor and her breathing shaky from crying. Upon finding the plate, she lifted the bowl of soup from it with her shaky front hooves and brought it to her lips. The wonderful taste and sensation of the soup filled her mouth as the warm, comforting liquid flowed from the bowl. She tilted her head back and drank the soup in large gulps, the bowl empty within around 5 swallows.

"Have fun with rest of your meal," White mumbled as he turned and left for the door.

After waiting for what felt like 10 minutes, the White Stallion stood up from the couch in the living room and walked to the basement door, opening it and entering. After making it down the steps he saw Celestia lying on her side near the tray of food, he could hear her quietly groaning.

"Celestia?" He asked, starting to go down the stairs quicker.

She made several sounds that were supposed to be words. The White Stallion quickly moved into the cell and to Celestia's side, there was a puddle of vomit a short distance from where she was laying.

"Celestia!? What happen, are you okay?" He asked, beginning to panic.

"Guuh... J-juu... I-I ca-ca." She stuttered, her chest shuddering as she tried to speak. There was a small amount of saliva dripping from the corner of her mouth as she tried to speak.

"Why can't you talk? Hey, look at me! Can you understand me?" The Stallion said, kneeling down the Celestia.

She responded with several sounds that she had meant to be words.

The White Stallion stepped back and looked at Celestia in horror. What was happening to her? He looked around the room wildly trying to gather his thoughts. Red Hoof, the doc! He knew medical things, maybe he would know what was wrong with her, other than the fact that she was very seriously concussed. He ran from the cell and up the stairs, flinging the wooden door open as he galloped down the hallway of the home. The White Stallion reached a room at the end of the hall that he and Red Hoof shared, quickly entered as he went to the bed in which Red Hoof was sleeping, violently shaking him in order to wake him up.

"Get up! Something's wrong with Celestia!" Stammered White Dust.

"What!? What?! Wait... what's wrong with her?" The Pony with the Glasses asked as he stuttered awake, sitting up in bed.

"I... I don't know! I walked in and she couldn't talk correctly, and I think she threw up the food I gave her!"

"I knew this would happen, I knew that seizure wouldn't be good." The Pony with the Glasses said as he put his glasses on and quickly got out of bed.

"What are you talking about?"

"She had a brain hemorrhage from the sound of it. Hell, she probably had another seizure while we were gone!" He responded as he went to the living room and retrieved the medical bag, the Stallion following him.

The two quickly went down the stairs and into the cell, Celestia was still laying on her side. The White Stallion stopped at the door as he watched the Pony with the Glasses knelt down next to Celestia and set his bag down.

"Can you talk? Hey, Celestia! Listen! Can you talk?" He enunciated.

"Wh-wha?" Celestia stuttered in response.

"Can you hear me?" He asked, looking into her blank eyes.

She nodded.

"Okay... Okay, good." Red Hoof said, reaching into the medical bag and taking out a few things.

"M-my head..." She mumbled.

"Where exactly does it hurt the most?"

Celestia motioned to the back of her head with a hoof.

Red Hoof made a small sound of acknowledgment and retrieved what looked like a morphine injector. He took the cap off and stuck the needle into Celestia's leg, causing her to flinch. After the injector was empty he threw it to the side and took out a stethoscope, he put the earpieces in his ears and lifted Celestia's head off of the ground before placing the listening end of the stethoscope on the back of her head, he listened carefully for a moment before putting the stethoscope back.

"Well... she is certainly bleeding from her brain, no doubt about that. The only way she's going to live through this is if I do surgery." He concluded, a troubled look on his face.

"But you're a field medic, not a damn brain surgeon! How in the world are you going to perform a surgery on her?!"

"I need to relieve the pressure on her brain and release the blood that's causing the pressure. I'm gonna have to drill a hole into her skull."

"But..."

"No; shut up. I can do this, I've done it before. We need to take her upstairs, I don't want to work down here, too much risk of infection. You can pick her up, right?"

The Stallion's horn began to glow, a blue aurora of magic surrounded Celestia as she slowly lifted off the floor. The Stallion was visibly straining from trying to keep her aloft.

"I'll hold the doors, you carry her." Red Hoof said as he moved to the cell door, holding it open as the Stallion stepped through with Celestia.

He quickly went to the top of the stairs and opened the wooden door, the Stallion carefully maneuvered Celestia through the doorway and down the hall into the living room. The Pony ran down into the cell and retrieved his bag, coming back up the stairs and into the living room where the Stallion had laid Celestia on the floor, her face held an expression of confusion mixed with fear.

"I-I ca... I can't see." Celestia spoke, reinstating something that was already known.

"I know, but listen. You can't see because your head was hit really hard, and I'm going to have to do an operation, alright?"

Celestia nodded.

"I gave you an injection a while ago, how on a scale of 1 to 10 how much pain are you in?" The Pony asked while he took things from his bag.

"Six. M-my head feels funny." She responded.

"Do you feel like vomiting again?"

"Y-yes."

"White Dust, go find get a bucket or something. I don't want her vomiting all over the floor."

The Stallion hurried to the kitchen and into the pantry.

"Celestia, White Dust is going to come back with something for you. If you need to vomit, do it in the bucket." He explained.

Celestia nodded.

The Stallion came back into the living room with a metal bucket floating in his magic, he set it down beside Celestia.

"Keep you hoof on the bucket so you know where it is." The Pony with the Glasses stated, helping Celestia to position her hoof on the bucket.

After a second the Pony let out a sigh, he looked rather troubled.

"You alright?" The Stallion asked.

"I'm fine, I just need a moment to gather my thoughts."

He stared at the couch across the room before speaking back up.

"Get a cushion off the couch so that we can keep her head up."

The Stallion levitated one of the seat cushions over the Pony who took the cushion and slid it under Celestia's head. The Pony began to remove items from his bag, one of the objects looked more like a torture device than a medical instrument. It was similar to a woodworking tool used for drilling holes without the use of an electrical tool, but the clean, stainless steel construction and the unusually shaped bit suggested it was for drilling through bone.

All of a sudden Celestia quickly pulled the bucket towards herself and sat up, vomiting a very putrid liquid into the bucket. Both Red Hoof and White Dust looked away in disgust. After several more volleys of heaving, Celestia leaned back, coughing from the horrible taste in her mouth. Red Hoof quickly took a bottle of water from his bag and gave it to Celestia, who took a mouthful of water and spit it into the bucket. She slowly lowered herself back down onto the floor, her breath heavy from vomiting.

"S-sorry." She said, sniffling.

"It's okay." Red Hoof assured her.

Without being told to do so, the Stallion levitated the bucket off the floor and took it to the bathroom, all the while holding it a ways distance from himself. Red Hoof went back to finding all of the supplies he needed.

"Did you hear me when I was explaining to White Dust what I'm going to be doing?" He asked, not looking up from the bag.

"No. I...I could hear you talking... but I couldn't understand it." Celestia responded.

"Okay... So first off, you can't see because the occipital cortex of your brain is severely bruised, and there's a lot of pressure on that area because of a brain hemorrhage you had after the first seizure. Now, this is going to sound terrifying, but I'm going to drill a small hole in the back of your head in order to release the blood and relieve some of the pressure on your brain."

Celestia's face went pale from fear. She looked like she was going to throw up again.

"Oh, and, uh... did you have a second seizure after I left?" Red Hoof asked.

"I think so. All I remember was n-not being able to think or move."

"Yeah... you had a second one," The Pony rubbed his face with a hoof. "Why did he hit your head so many times and so hard? He didn't accomplish anything!" He exclaimed.

The Stallion returned with the bucket, which was clean now. Celestia put her hoof atop the bucket after the Stallion set it down beside her.

"White, can you go get your shaving razor? I don't have one." Red Hoof asked.

The Stallion's horn lit up, the shaving razor teleporting into existence. He levitated it to Red Hoof, who held out his hoof and took the razor.

"What do you need a razor for?"

"I need to make a clean area where I can drill the hole." Red Hoof said, scooting himself behind Celestia's head.

He parted her hair where he needed to make the hole and carefully began to cut away her hair from the root. Once he had made a large area with no hair he set the razor down on the ground, the White Stallion took it back with his magic. Red Hoof moved back to his position beside the medical bag, he took a small vial and syringe in his hoof.

"I'm going to give you an anesthetic injection, you'll feel a little weird at first, but within 10 seconds you'll be out like a light." He explained to Celestia.

The terrified look on her face was enough of a response. Red Hoof took the syringe and stuck the needle into her leg. He slowly depressed the plunger, watching carefully as the dose of anesthetic medicine left the cylinder. After releasing some of the medicine he removed the needle from her leg and set it down.

"W-wha... I-I ugh..." Celestia mumbled as her eyes began to flutter.

After a few more seconds her entire body went limp as she fell into a state of unconsciousness.

Celestia slowly began to regain consciousness, her world appearing in a distorted and dark fashion. Silence accompanied the eerie distortion of the objects around her, she was still trying to decide if her brain injury was causing the odd shapes and colors. It felt as if her brain was some kind of a machine powering up, all of the different components slowly clicked on. She realized that she was not laying on the cold floor of the cell, but that she was laying on a soft couch, most of her body wrapped in a blanket. A bit of squirming seemed to activate her nerves, Celestia's body beginning to ache from her injuries, the most painful of them all being her head injury. Holding still made the aching a bit more bearable.

A thought clicked into her mind. If she was in the living room of the home, at least she assumed she was, it would be easy to find the front door. Celestia denounced the thought. It would be utterly idiotic to attempt an escape at this stage. Despite her want for life to end, it wasn't a want great enough for her to pass in such a way. Her inability to see and walk spelled out a frozen and lonely death if she was to venture out into the snowy forest that lay beyond the home.

That was the one thing frightening Celestia the most, blindness. It created a new feeling of vulnerability, one more overwhelming than the one she already hosted. Previously she had been able to defend herself somewhat, now it appeared that a small brick possessed more defensive capability than she did. Defending herself against the White Stallion normally resulted in more pain, anyway.

Where were the White Stallion and the Pony with the Glasses? She remembered hearing their voices when they had first brought her upstairs. The option that the group had gone to sleep was the most likely out of the several she thought of. Celestia wondered if the Light blue Stallion had been there when the Pony with the Glasses had been helping her. She didn't remember hearing his voice or any of the other two giving him directions. He typically strayed away from all of the action. The thought looped back around to the question of where the two ponies had gone. She looked around the room, but all her vision provided was the same, blurry, distorted images it had before.

"Hello?" Celestia asked quietly.

Silence was the only one to respond.

All of a sudden a certain feeling returned to her stomach and throat. She felt like throwing up again, something she didn't particularly want to do. Celestia felt around the edge of the couch for the bucket that the White Stallion had gotten, but it didn't appear to be anywhere near her. How could she find her way to the bathroom? She had absolutely no idea where the bathroom was, a fact that would only add to the difficulty of the situation. She couldn't walk, couldn't see, and didn't know the location of her goal. Celestia slowly sat upright on the couch, the blanket slipping off of her as she moved. Instantly she felt the effects of both blood loss and severe brain injury, extreme dizziness took over her mind. The already distorted world she saw began turning in odd ways, which only amplified her need to vomit.

In a clumsy and unsteady manner, Celestia was able to stand up off of the couch, her legs wobbling beneath her as she struggled to stay upright. She took a step forward, the act causing a bolt of pain to shoot up her left leg. It took all of her willpower to keep going, one painful step at a time. After around five paces Celestia bumped into a wall. She turned and leaned herself against it, slowly walking along the wall until she found the entrance to the hallway. Now she just had to find the bathroom.

She turned down the hall and carefully proceeded, each step drew a loud creak from the floorboards. She had found the first door of the hallway, it seemed logical that the first door should be the bathroom. A few seconds of fumbling Celestia was able to turn the door knob and carefully push open the door. She hoped that she hadn't opened the door to the White Stallion's room. One careful step inside revealed that the floor was comprised of tiles. The feeling in her stomach and throat became more pressing, she was glad that she had found the bathroom.

Celestia hurried to enter the room fully, but her horn caught the door frame, jerking her head back. She regained her balance and tried again, lowering her head so that she would fit into the room. Once inside, a little feeling around revealed that a counter and sink sat directly in front of her. She felt to her left, which revealed the position of the shower. Finally, to her right, was the toilet. Celestia carefully knelt down in front of the object, positioning her head over the bowl. All of a sudden there was a click, the pitch black image her eyes presented her turned to a blurry, splotchy grayish picture. Celestia panicked, quickly turning her head towards the door. All she was able to see was an extremely blurry white spot.

"How did you get in here?" Asked the White Stallion's voice. He sounded as if he had just woken up.

"I-I... uh... I walked." Celestia managed, fearful that the White Stallion would react in his usual violent way.

"You're not going to do a very good job of throwing up if you leave the seat down." White Dust said tiredly.

There was a clack of the seat raising, the sound accompanied by the squeak and then thud of the door shutting. The White Stallion listened to the wretched, painful heaves Celestia made as she vomited, the sounds were unaccompanied by the splash of water. After opening the door the Stallion realized that the only thing Celestia had thrown up was a bit of water and foam. The oddest thing about her appearance was the position of her eyes. Normally hate burned through them when her stare was fixed on him, but now her eyes looked lamely in the direction her head was pointing.

"Feel better?" White Dust asked.

"N-no..." Celestia mumbled, her breathing heavy.

"Do you want me to go get that blanket you had? You look a little cold." The Stallion inquired.

Celestia nodded.

The Stallion walked away from the doorway, his hoof-steps faded down the hall towards the living room. Celestia moved away from the toilet and laid down on the bathroom floor, her body barely fit in the small room. She had begun to wonder how long it would be until her end finally came. She felt weak-minded for wanting to die so badly, but when one's existence is constant physical pain, vomiting, hunger, nightmares, and blindness, it should make sense for said individual to want an end. The sound of hoof steps returned as did the blurry figure of the White Stallion.

"C-can you... do one more thing for me?" Celestia mumbled, a few tears dripping from her cheeks to the floor.

"Ugh, what do you want?"

Celestia began pulling herself towards the White Stallion, her right hoof extending as she felt around. Upon finding one of the White Stallion's front legs, Celestia weakly lifted his hoof from the tile bathroom floor and placed it between her eyes.

"Just h-hit me right here... as many times as you can... p-please." Celestia spoke through her tears.

The White Stallion didn't respond, his eyes locked on to those of Celestia's as he failed to produce any sort of response.

"P-please... I-I don't want to feel all this p-pain and fear anymore... please!"

"You're supposed to feel pain and fear, you moron."

The White Stallion pulled his hoof away from Celestia's temple, stepping back as he looked at the sad, broken Alicorn that lay before him, the word 'please' being repeated several times over through her sobs.

"Okay, do you feel like throwing up again?" The White Stallion asked awkwardly.

"P-please... j-just get it over with... Please!" Celestia cried once more, seemingly ignoring the White Stallion's statement.

"Well, I'll take you back into the living room so you can lie down and rest."

Celestia continued to repeat herself, causing the White Stallion to simply ignore her and levitate her large figure from the floor, Celestia's legs bumping the door frame as the Stallion struggled to maneuver her body out of the bathroom. With the Alicorn's body free from the bathroom, the Stallion stepped down the hallway and lowered Celestia down onto the couch of the living room, her legs hanging off the edge by a large amount. Luckily, halfway down the hall, Celestia had finally stopped repeating herself, though her broken sobs remained, tears rolling from her cheeks onto the couch arm. The White Stallion looked on for a few moments before deciding to say anything.

"Do you think you could keep some water down?" He asked, remembering how little Celestia had to drink.

"I-I don't know..." The Alicorn whined.

The Stallion gave an annoyed sigh, leaving the living room and stepping into the kitchen as he opened one of the many cupboards with the assistance of his magic. A glass was taken from one of the shelves, said glass lowered to the water faucet to be filled with water. The White Stallion turned from the sink and walked back into the living room, tapping Celestia's lips with the rim of the glass to signal her. Celestia opened her mouth to accept the water, White Dust slowly tilting the glass to allow her a drink. In a few large gulps the entire glass had been emptied of water, the White Stallion setting the glass down as he stepped away from Celestia.

"I'll go get you that bucket just in case."

The Stallion's hoof steps went down the direction of the hall. Celestia had been able to get a slight grip on her emotions, her sobs slowing to a sniffle. She had genuinely wished that the Stallion had driven her head into the floor a few more times, it would have been painful, but it would have finally brought an end to everything. The White Stallion returned, a moment later the clank of metal sounded in front of Celestia. She listened as he moved into the kitchen and began clanking things around, she assumed he was making himself something to eat.

"How long was I asleep?" Celestia asked, a little more composed than before.

"8 hours... I think. We all went to sleep a little after the doc finished up." He responded from the kitchen.

The sound of hoof steps echoed from the hallway, whoever was creating the sound had clearly just woken up.

"Good morning." The White Stallion said to the pony that had entered from the hallway.

"Hello."

His hoof steps got closer to the couch, a second later Celestia felt her head being lifted up by his hoof.

"Can you see at all?" Red Hoof said, moving her head around a little. Celestia figured that he was either examining her eyes or the wound on the back of her head.

"All I see is blurry shapes." She responded.

"So you aren't able to actually make out anything?"

"No."

Red Hoof lifted her head even further, Celestia felt the large bandage around her head being removed.

"I need to replace this bandage, can you hold your head there for a moment?"

Celestia complied. After a moment's more unwrapping the bandage was completely off, she listened as Red Hoof went to a part of the room and got his bag. He returned and began to wrap a clean new bandage around the wound left from her operation.

"Alright, you can put your head back down." He said once he had finished up with the new bandage.

Celestia complied once more.

"Coffee's in the pot. I'm going to go brush my teeth." The White Stallion said to Red Hoof, who made a sound of acknowledgment.

He shuffled tiredly from the kitchen into the bathroom and clicked on the light as he entered, the sudden brightness required him to squint. The White Stallion pulled open one of the drawers and got out his toothbrush and toothpaste. Just as he was about to begin cleaning his teeth White Dust noticed something was missing.

His shaving razor was not in the drawer. He remembered returning it to the drawer, so where had it gone? He closed the drawer with a hoof and opened the one below it, searching around only to find that the drawer also did not contain his razor. A realization struck White Dust. Celestia had been in the bathroom not that long ago, and he had no idea how long she had been in the bathroom for. She must have overheard when Red Hoof had asked for the razor, and now she had gotten a hold of it.

It seemed unlikely that somepony who couldn't see should be able to find a razor without knowing its location, but Celestia was no ordinary pony. She would do anything to escape, and she had proven that she intended fully to kill all three of them in order to do so. White Dust, feeling a little more awake, quickly left the bathroom and went down the hall to the living room.

Celestia felt something embrace all four of her legs and violently throw her off the couch and onto the floor, the impact causing a superfluous amount of pain.

"White! What in the world are you doing?" She heard Red Hoof exclaim.

"Where's the razor?! I know you took it!" White Dust yelled in Celestia's face, his magic still holding her legs.

"W-what are you talking about!?" She stammered.

Stinging pain split through Celestia's nerves as the White Stallion threw his hoof across her face.

"Don't play dumb with me! My shaving razor! I put it back last night and this morning I wake up to find you in the bathroom, and guess what; that razor isn't where I put it!" White Dust yelled.

He stood up and began taking the cushions off of the couch in search of the hidden razor.

"How could she have taken your razor!? She can barely see!" Red Hoof said from the kitchen.

"You seem to forget who we're dealing with." The White Stallion answered back, his voice holding a deep tone.

The Pony with the Glasses didn't say anything further. After tearing all of the cushions from the couch to discover his razor was not present, The White Stallion stepped back over to Celestia and stomped his hoof down on her throat.

"Last chance. Where. Is. The. Razor?"

"I-I... don't ha... have it..." She choked, tears beginning to drip from her eyes and down her cheeks.

"White, she doesn't have the damn razor! Let her go, before you hurt her again!" Red Hoof yelled.

"The only reason we're here is to hurt her!" Responded White Dust in an angry tone.

"I... don't h-have it... please." Celestia managed, her front hoofs pushing on the White Stallion's leg in a weak attempt to free herself.

After several long seconds White Dust took his hoof away from Celestia's throat, a dark red spot left where his hoof had been. He watched while she gasped for air on the floor. White Dust looked up at a very angry Red Hoof.

"How do you know you haven't misplaced your razor?" He asked, stepping over to Celestia.

"I couldn't have, I remember putting it in the drawer and when I checked just now it wasn't there!"

"Can you still breathe alright?" Red Hoof asked Celestia, the only response she could manage through her heavy breathing and tears was a small nod.

White Dust turned away and walked back into the bathroom, opening the top drawer with his magic. The razor was still missing. He shuffled through the contents of the drawer, moving several things out of the way only to find that the razor had been hidden under a package of cotton balls. He let out a sigh of frustration as he overheard Celestia cry "I don't want to die here." from the other room.

Nº 11: Passive Ability

If you don't like gore: scroll down until you see this marker once more.

The sound of hooves on a wooden floor brought Celestia out of her half asleep state. She perked her head up, but her lack of sight instantly negated the action. There wasn't much point of looking to see who was approaching if she couldn't see.

"Do you think you can keep some soup down?" Asked Red Hoof.

"What?" She responded lamely.

"Do you think you can eat something and not throw it back up?" He reiterated.

"Oh... I... yes."

"Sit up." Said the voice of White Dust, whom Celestia had not expected to be with Red Hoof.

She complied, doing her best to sit herself up on the couch so that her back legs could serve as a table. An object was placed on her legs, after feeling it with her right hoof Celestia established that it was a tray, resting on said tray was a bowl of warm soup. She put both hooves at the sides of the bowl and carefully lifted it to her lips, struggling to not drop it from the excruciating pain in her left leg.

She took a small sip of the hot soup, after establishing that the soup was cool enough to eat she tilted her head back and drank nearly all of the meal in three large gulps. She took a moment to breathe and finished off the last of her delicious meal. Carefully lowering the empty bowl back to its tray, Celestia was happy to have eaten something Her last meal had been almost an entire day ago.

"I think that's the easiest meal we've ever given you." Red Hoof spoke.

"I'm hungry,"

"I can see that. I suppose it would take twice the calories to keep a pony twice the size full. It's a wonder you haven't died from starvation yet, you've been through so much strenuous activity and eaten so little."

"Other ponies have always cri... criti..." Celestia stumbled.

"Criticized?" Corrected Red Hoof.

"Yes... criticized h-how much I ate, saying that it was because of how extra... extravagantly I lived. They... they... never realized that it's because I'm so tall." She explained, seeming to be not all there.

"Are you having problems speaking?"

"My jaw is broken."

"No, I meant are you having troubles forming sentences?"

"I-I have to think a little longer."

Celestia heard Red Hoof make a small 'Hm.' noise as he stepped away from her and walked into the kitchen, standing beside White Dust who was busy cleaning dishes.

"I'm extremely worried about her mental health. She's having problems speaking and is having troubles understanding speech. There's a chance you damaged more than her Occipital cortex." He spoke softly to ensure Celestia wouldn't overhear, pushing his glasses up with a hoof.

"You feel sorry for her, don't you?" White Dust whispered.

Red sighed.

"Yes, I do. Even after she stabbed me, I feel bad for her."

"We need to have Star Yield restore our Auras. He told us that she would have an effect on us."

"You're right. He said that supplies would be sent soon, right?" Red Hoof responded quietly.

"Yeah. Friday... I think. When they get here I'll ask if he can make his way up here. It'll probably take him a while to get here, so we've got to remain strong until he gets here." White concluded.

"You said 'we' when you were talking about Star Yield restoring our Auras. You feel bad for her, too, don't you?" Red Hoof retraced, thinking a little on what White had said.

"A little bit. The whole brain damage thing... I don't like it."

"Then don't hit her head anymore." Red Hoof said firmly, walking out of the kitchen.

A few moments after his departure from the kitchen the front door of the home opened as the Light Blue Stallion stepped inside. The only sign that it was, in fact, the Light Blue Stallion was his muzzle, the only part of him that wasn't covered in some sort of clothing. He wore a heavy coat, thick canvas pants that were held up by a system of suspension straps, equally thick boots, hat, goggles, and a sort of backpack. Instead of a bag, it was a metal frame used for hauling cargo, on said frame was a tall stack of chopped wood, the stack of around 15 logs being held with a strap.

"Oh, good. We were just about to run out of firewood." The White Stallion said.

"That's why I made sure to get plenty. Here, help me unload this."

White Dust lifted the stack of wood from Shield Arc's, the Light Blue Stallion, back and set it down near the fireplace. Arc looked over at Celestia lying on the couch, she looked half asleep.

"Why is she up here?" He asked, taking off his hat and goggles.

"She's recovering, I guess."

"Recovering from what? Did the poor little princess get stabbed too many times?" He asked, looking over at Celestia who now had an angry look on her face.

"No, head trauma and blindness."

Shield Arc's face went blank.

"Blindness?"

"Cortical Blindness. White hit her head too hard." Red Hoof said, entering from the other room.

"So you brought her up here? Who cares if she can't see, she'll be easier to deal with."

"The reason she's up here is because she had 2 seizures and a brain hemorrhage, as a result I had to drill a hole in the back of her head to drain the blood and relieve the pressure." The Pony with the Glasses explained, slightly troubled by Shield's lack of sensitivity.

"I still don't see why we shouldn't throw her back in the cell."

Red Hoof sighed.

"There's too much risk of infection in the cell, at this point I don't want to risk anything." He explained.

"How is that cell any dirtier than it is up here? The only thing down there is dried blood."

"Dried blood can cause many problems!" Complained Red, his words seeming more like an excuse to Shield.

"What happen to you two? I was gone for a day and now you're all soft? White Dust, you used to be meaner to her than I, and now you're letting her sit up here all cozy on the couch?" Shield said, Celestia catching on every one of his words.

"Keep it down, will you? I will admit that I feel slightly sorry for her, but Star warned us about this. She's got the 'passive ability' to wear down the Aura, it's happened before." White Dust whispered.

"Well then, tear down her 'passive ability'."

Shield Arc walked out of the kitchen, a few small puddles of water left from the ice and snow caked onto his boots. There was a moment of silence as both Red Hoof and White Dust thought about what Shield said.

"He's right. We should put her back down in that cell." White said quietly after a moment's time.

"Then stop waiting and do it. The only reason you're hesitating is because you know it'll upset her." Red Hoof mumbled.

The White Stallion walked from the kitchen and took Celestia's back legs with his magic, throwing her to the floor with a thud.

"Please don't put me back down there." She pleaded quietly.

"Shut your mouth. You knew this was coming." White spoke as he dragged Celestia across the living room and down the hallway.

He opened the wooden door to the basement and levitated Celestia's large body off of the floor. Once at the bottom of the stairs White pushed open the unlocked cell door with his hoof and threw Celestia inside, a loud grunt escaping her as she landed on the cell floor.

"The only reason you're putting me down here is because you don't want that other pony to think you're weak." Celestia spoke.

"Remember what happen all those other times you didn't hold your tongue?" White asked, kneeling down to get on Celestia's level.

"He's right to say that you're weak. I'm not the weak one. Both of us know that." She responded quietly, a small smile dawning on her bruised and cut face.

"You're horribly mistaken, then. You once ruled this entire nation, now the only thing you rule is where you lie down." White Dust mocked.

Celestia chuckled.

"You would be dead if y-you were in my spot. I would like to see you try to find a bathroom w-with no vision and a broken leg." She said.

"I'm glad you're proud of yourself."

White Dust turned away from Celestia and began walking for the exit, Red Hoof following. Half way up the stairs Red Hoof stopped and turned around.

"You left the light on." He said to White Dust.

"What does it matter? She can't see." White responded, continuing up the stairs.

Celestia was extremely happy that the White Stallion hadn't hit her anymore. Every inch of her body was in a constant state of burning pain, her legs and face felt as if they were constantly being gripped by some razor coated clamp, and her head throbbed with every beat of her heart. She let herself into a laying position, her legs spread out in front of her as she focused on the void of dim shapes that was her sight.

The duo entered the living room to find Shield Arc sitting on the couch with a cup of what looked like coffee, his thick winter clothes lying in a pile to the side of his seat. There was a hot fire roaring in the brick fireplace, something all three of them were happy to see.

"I'm glad she's not on my couch anymore. The first thing I wanted to do was sit down, but I walk in to find her lying here." Shield said.

Both Red Hoof and White Dust remained silent, slightly guilty by the fact that they had been the cause. Shield Arc raised his cup and took a sip.

"How much did she whine?"

"Not that much, actually. She seemed really calm." Red spoke.

"I think she's starting to get used to this." White added.

You still gotta read this line, though.

"She's not getting used to it, she's just accepted that this is how her life will end." Shield Arc said in an oddly deep manner.

"Your Highness, we have an issue." Cloud Drop said as he entered Twilight's room unannounced.

She quickly closed the document she had been viewing and hid it behind herself.

"Can't you knock? What do you want?" Twilight said angrily.

"There's a large mob at the front gates demanding to know why the sun hasn't risen."

Twilight's face went pale.

"A mob?"

"Yes. What do you suggest we do?"

"I... I don't know. I can't raise the sun and Luna doesn't have the ability yet. What do we tell them?"

"You just said what we've told them."

Twilight went silent.

"It might help to hear those words from who's in charge." Cloud Drop added.

"You're right. I'll handle the crowd."

She stood up and walked out the door past Cloud Drop, who shut the door and followed.

"I remember when messengers came to Ponyville and said that the sun wouldn't be up for a while, why is there a mob?"

"I assume that they all think Her Highness is lying to them and trying to take Equestria for herself, at least that's what rumors I've heard." Cloud said as the two hurried through the halls.

A while's more walking put Twilight and Cloud Drop in the throne room, which in turn lead to the front gates of Canterlot Castle. The throne room had around a hundred troops in it, each armed and ready.

"Why do we need all these soldiers?" She asked.

"In case they knock down the gates and storm in here."

Twilight looked significantly more worried than she had been before. She and Cloud Drop moved through the soldiers and out into the courtyard. Twilight stopped as she saw the mob. Around five hundred very, very perturbed citizens were outside of the large metal gates and surrounding walls, which had a group of soldiers with spears and swords guarding it. The noise of the mob got louder upon Twilight's appearance.

"So, what's to problem here!?" Twilight inquired loudly over the noise of the crowd as she walked to the gate.

"We're angry that the paint on this gate is chipping! What do you think we're angry about!?" A mare in the front row responded sarcastically.

"I understand that you're all upset about the frigid temperature and the lack of sunlight, but neither Princess Luna or I have control over that. I was under the impression that you all knew she couldn't raise the sun!"

"How does that work, exactly?!" An agitated male voice called out.

"Are you a Unicorn, by chance?!" She called out to the unseen male.

"No, but I still don-"

"Then you would have absolutely no idea about how magic works! She has to learn the ability and form a mental and magical bond with the Sun before she can manipulate its position in the sky, something that will take time! If you need heating supplies, food, or clothing, you're going to have to wait." Twilight finished.

The crowd's anger flared at the notion of waiting for supplies.

"I have no firewood left, how am I going to wait any longer!?"
"What do you mean, 'wait'!?"
"I bet you're sitting in there all nice and cozy while we sit with no firewood!" The rebuttals came and came.

"Alright, listen!! Listen!!" Twilight yelled, anger of her own starting to show.

"The helicopters that would be used to bring supplies aren't even here, they're all in Stalliongrad because of a conflict there! It would take an entire 3 days for them to fly back and refuel, and it would take probably another day to get food, clothing, and firewood gathered and prepped for transport, not counting the time of actually getting the supplies to Ponyville! You all can stand here in the cold and protest all you want, but it will not change the fact that we can't get supplies to you instantly!" Twilight explained loudly, the crowd a bit more calmed down after her explanation.

"Well, then what do we do? All of the trees are frozen to the point where we can't cut them down." A stallion in the second row spoke.

Twilight paused in thought. The proverbial light bulb lit up.

"We come up with a plan. Open the gates!" She called.

"Your Highness!" Cloud Drop called in protest, a look of disbelief on his face.

"I am not going to force hundreds of ponies to stay out in this frozen wasteland! Now, open the gates!!" Twilight retorted loudly.

"Open the gates!" Cloud called as he turned around and walked back up the snowy marble steps of the throne room entrance.

With a loud clank, 2 large locks disengaged from the ground and the large metal gates were slowly swung open by two guards. The crowd of ponies began filing through the gates, most of them giving their thanks to Twilight as they passed. Once every pony of the previous mob was inside the throne room Twilight lifted off of the ground with a few strokes of her wings and hovered above the crowd.

"You are not leaving this castle without some sort of heating supplies or food. This castle has more than enough supplies, so we'll devise something, I promise!" She said loudly.

Unexpectedly, applause and cheering and broken out, the ponies of the crowd being overjoyed at the fact that they would get the relief they desperately needed. Twilight smiled as she lowered herself to the ground and left the throne room. Cloud Drop, followed by the armed guards, came out of the doorway and into the hallway Twilight was currently standing in.

"So exactly what are we going to do? There's barely any firewood left." Cloud Drop asked.

"Is there plenty of food?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, there's a large reserve of canned food in the auxiliary cellar."

"Find whoever is in charge of food and have them meet me here." She commanded.

With a firm salute, Cloud Drop quickly ran down the hallway.

"What are your orders, your highness?" One of the maybe fifteen guards asked.

"I... I don't know yet." Twilight responded as she looked around in thought.

Her head stopped as she stared at a simple dark wood table, it's sole purpose to hold a decorative potted plant.

"How many more of tables like that are around this castle?" She asked, an idea springing into her mind.

"Thousands. The hallways and guest rooms are covered in the things." A Guard off to Twilight's left responded.

"Alright, before we do anything, I want each of you to gather as many staff members in the... what's the largest area we have?" Twilight spoke.

"The largest place I can think of would be the Aerodrome. The hangers outside are empty, as well." The same guard said.

"Okay, then I want you to take everypony in the throne room to the hangers right now."

The Guard gave a salute and ran back into the Throne room.

"Now, the rest of you, gather every staff member you can find in the throne room, I'll explain my plan once the staff is gathered." Twilight explained.

The remaining fourteen soldiers saluted in unison and split into two groups, each going down a different hallway. Moments after each of the guard's departure the throne room door opened, the group of has-been protesters filing out into the hallway. Twilight smiled as they passed her, many of the ponies holding thankful looks on their faces as they went past.

"You wanted us in the throne room?" A female voice asked.

Twilight turned around to see a small group of castle staff members.

"Yes, I did. I have a plan to help get these ponies relief, but I'll explain that when everypony is here."

Over the course of 5 minutes, nearly every staff member of the castle was in the expansive throne room. Twilight made a few final checks before stepping up onto the elevated platform the two thrones rested upon, she stood for a moment as she looked over the diverse crowd.

"So... I should start of by informing anypony who didn't know that a mob of around 400 to 500 ponies had gathered asking for food and heating supplies. Now, I know that we are running low ourselves, but there's enough to go around. I have a plan to get these ponies the help they need, and that's where you all come in. If you are a unicorn or physically fit and able to do demanding physical work, I want you on this side of the room!"

The crowd split as the ponies who fit the requirement shuffled over to form a second group.

"So, you all will be in charge of gathering firewood." Twilight spoke.

"But, there's little firewood left!" A stallion called.

"But there is! There's a reason I gathered strong and fit ponies. There are hundreds of tables like the one outside doing nothing but sitting. Now, I don't want you all going and gathering every bit of furniture that's combustible, I want you all to gather tables, the things on them can sit on the floor for the next while. Potted plants, lamps, alarm clocks, no matter, take the table and set the things on the floor. Go only to the guest rooms and the hallways, that should provide us with a sufficient amount of wood. Is this plan understood?"

The large group boomed out in a collective "Yes".

"Good, now get to work, I'll explain the next part of the firewood plan once all the tables are gathered here!"

The approximately 200 ponies moved to the door of the throne room and exited into the hallways. Cloud Drop, who had been waiting outside the door for the group to pass, entered with the Castle's lead Victual Administrator in tail.

"Your Highness." He spoke.

"Oh? You're the one in charge of food, right?" She asked the pony standing beside Cloud.

"Indeed. You needed me?" The Administrator spoke.

"You know that we have a few uninvited guests, right?"

"No... what guests?" The Administrator asked,

"Around 500 ponies arrived at the gates to form a mob. They're hungry and cold, and we need to help them."

"Wow... this is sudden. Exactly what role in helping these ponies do I have?"

"I need you to organize the distribution of food to the ponies."

"Hm... 500 you said?"

"Yes."

"How many cans of food should each get?" He asked.

"As many as possible."

"Alright. I've got an idea. Admiral; could you show me to the ponies we're helping?"

The Admiral stuttered. "I don't know. Where'd you send them all, Your Majesty?"

"One of the large hangers out at the Aerodrome." returned Twilight.

"Okay, let's go." The Administrator said as he left, leaving Cloud behind.

Twilight turned to see the rest of the staff, every one of them waiting for her instruction.

"Every pony, I need you all to help organize food distribution and firewood distribution. A group of you should gather scales so that the wood can be measured. As for food, The Food Administrator has a plan, those wishing to help in food, I would seek him. Any questions?"
Twilight concluded.

No hooves went up.

"Okay, let's get to work!"

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 12: Land Dispute

"You must think I'm a fool of some sort. This little bit of land would fit in my backyard!"

"It's the only thing I'm willing to give!"

"Tell me, Mikhail, how much of this land is occupied by living ponies?"

"None of it, but that doesn't change the fact that this land is within my borders!"

"I don't get it, I simply don't. I am willing to use the land for something productive, yet you insist on keeping it!"

"Of course I am keeping it! The People of Stalliongrad have asked for our borders to stretch further, not shorter!"

"Another thing I don't get. Why did she bring an entire platoon of troops with her?"

"I was advised to do so, tis not my fault."

"You do take me for a fool, then. Excuse me while I invade the country I'm in."

"Tension between our lands has been high, and I felt it necessary to have the extra firepower."

The argument was interrupted by a crackle of light from Princess Luna's horn as a scroll materialized itself in front of her, the scroll's appearance causing her to sit up from her slouched position at the large meeting table.

"Excuse me, but we are not accepting mail at this time." King Avian, who was sitting adjacent to her, spoke angrily.

"I apologize, but this might be urgent." Luna spoke as she unraveled the scroll and read silently.

After a few awkwardly silent moments she sat the scroll down and propped her head on a hoof, maintaining her bored and tired look.

"Nothing of importance, please, continue arguing." She said lamely.

"We are not here to argue, we are here to resolve this issue, and you are not helping; your Highness!" Mikhail exclaimed, the cigar hanging from his mouth bobbing as he spoke.

"Then you should not have called me here, for I have no idea what is going on anymore. This petty feud about land is becoming a bane to me. If the entirety of this argument had ceased to exist, my sister might still be here." Luna said.

"You have your poorly built aircraft to blame, not this." King Avian retorted with his usual snooty disposition.

"I suggest you close your beak, Sire, for it would be a shame for me to ruin it." Luna mumbled, her eyes stabbing into King Avian's.

"You have the audacity to threaten me at a peaceful conference? I was under the impression that you were 'reformed', Princess, but it seems that is not the case!" Avian spoke loudly, his words sparking a flame of anger in Luna.

"Both of you, behave yourselves! Shouting and crying isn't going to get us anywhere!" Mikhail broke in, his attempt to put out the flames only fanning them.

"You are one to speak of shouting! A moment's time ago was it not you who was shouting?" Luna shot back.

"It is land in my country being disputed, here. I should have some right to be shouting!"

"Please. Disputed? You've just said 'no' for the last 3 hours." King Avian groaned.

Mikhail exclaimed in frustration and took a drag from his cigar before tapping it on a circular, glass ashtray to his side.

"Have you two thought of splitting this land? Take the disputed portion and break it in half?" Luna suggested, trying to not cough from the thick, low-lying smoke in the room.

"We did that a minute ago, and I do not want that little land! I don't know how many times I can say it." King Avian said.

"I do not know how many times I can say that I do not wish to give up any of that land! Many times has the Council and the Senate told me that they do not want the land gone, either. I'm not the only one against this plan, the rest of Stalliongrad is, as well."

Silence fell over the meeting room, both Luna and King Avian not having any further responses. Mikhail sighed and took a drag from his cigar.

"I do not care how long it shall take, but war must be avoided. We're already in a state of darkness, an extra layer would do only bad." Luna spoke quietly.

"I've been meaning to ask you about this 'darkness', Princess. How is it that you can't bring the sun back up?" King Avian asked.

"I do not have the ability. Spare yourself the breath of asking why I do not possess the ability, for I do not wish to add another tally to the count of times I've explained it." Came Luna's response, followed by a sigh.

The silence returned. After several moments Mikhail pushed himself away from the table and stood up. He moved to one of the ten windows of the room and stood, peering out of the icy glass at the world outside. Moments of total silence passed as Mikhail stood, his posture and slight movements showed his contemplation of something.

"Have the land."

Both Luna and King Avian looked over to him, none of them speaking for several moments.

"Have it?" King Avian asked reluctantly.

"Yes. If a second war is to result from this little sliver of my land not going to you, then have it." Mikhail said, anger hanging in his voice.

"Oh... alright then. Thank you for your cooperation!" King Avian said as he stood up and went to Mikhail with an outstretched arm and open paw.

Mikhail reluctantly raised his own front leg and shook with the King, whose attitude had flipped a full one-eighty.

"Now, I think we have some paperwork to fill out in order for this to be official," Mikhail noted.

It took another 30 minutes for the final officious things to be taken care of. Finally, the doors to the smokey and dark meeting room opened to one of the many hallways of the Stalliongrad Kremlin, the three occupants walking out. King Avian went to a group of Gryphons dressed almost extravagantly as himself and began conversing and going over paperwork while Luna and Mikhail looked on.

"I understand it was difficult to both let him win and give up your land, but I am most grateful that you were able to end this." She said.

Mikhail sighed.

"I wish it would have ended sooner. You were right, if this feud had never started Celestia might still be here." He speculated.

"Do not be so hard on yourself." Luna smiled.

Mikhail gave King Avian and his officials an antagonistic look as they looked over documents, none of them noticing his gaze.

"This was not how I wanted to spend my Hearth's Warming eve. I would much rather be with my family." He said.

"You have a family?" Luna asked.

"Yes. A wife and two children. They were more displeased with the timing of these meetings than I was."

"I do not have anypony particular to spend the holiday with, other than Cloud Drop. He always seems as if he needs company, that's why I'm so pleased he has a new pet."

"New pet?"

"Oh, I have not told you. He stumbled across the cutest white kitten in Canterlot a while's time ago and brought the little thing back with him to the castle. There's something perfect about the two of them, I think it might be the contrast."

Mikhail chuckled lightly.

"I can only imagine him with something as innocuous as a kitten."

A moment's silence passed before one of the two spoke again.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you know what Celestia had as a gift for you?" Mikhail asked.

"N-no, actually. I did not get the chance to ask Cloud Drop."

Mikhail nodded.

Luna's attention was drawn from the conversation as she noticed something on King Avian's figure. His wrist watch. The gold-plated piece seemed to stand out more than the equally extravagant articles on his figure. She stepped away from Mikhail's side and to King Avian, whose attention was still with the several advisers and officials with him.

"Excuse me, Sire, but I must implore where you acquired your timepiece, as I have been searching for something like it." Luna remarked, getting his attention.

"This? Well... this was actually a gift from your sister. Despite our differences, she and I were good friends. I do wish to express my deepest condolences, your Highness, the opportunity hadn't arisen during the meeting and I was unable to be there for the funeral." King Avian chatted in an unexpectedly sweet manner.

"Ah. Well, thank you. Your absence from the funeral did not go unnoticed... if that helps." Luna said as she turned and walked back to Mikhail and, now, Andrei, who had arrived while she was speaking with King Avian.

"You're very friendly with King Avian." Mikhail noted.

"I have no reason to be otherwise, nor have I ever found a reason."

"У меня естьнесколько."
(I have a few.) Mikhail mumbled under his breath.

"Mr. President, do who I give zes papers to?" Andrei asked, mentioning the small stack he had been given before Luna came over.

"Take them to the министерство for now, tell them I'll be there to go over things later." Mikhail instructed him. (Ministry)

"утвердительный."
(Affirmative.) Andrei said as he gave a salute and walked off down the hallway.

"Well... The meetings ended several days before I estimated they would, and your troop reinforcements won't be needed anymore. If you wish to pack up and head back to Canterlot, you can do so."

"Ah! Yes, everything is done! I've just now come to the realization of it all, this thing is finally over." Luna said, having a slight epiphany.

Mikhail sighed.

"I feel extremely guilty. The entire reason Princess Celestia isn't standing here is because I was too stubborn to give into Avian." He spoke solemnly.

"The blame should not be pinned on you, or anypony for that matter. Her... passing, was pure accident." Luna assured, her voice cracking a little.

She had been doing a good job of suppressing her emotions, but having Mikhail speak about her sister's death had begun to bring those emotions from their prison.

"I am sorry, I truly am. You have been doing a fantastic job at remaining professional throughout your time here." Mikhail noted, changing the subject.

"Thank you, it has not been easy. I have a question, where in this city might I find an establishment that sells timepieces?"

"The Гранд Базар, or Grand Bazaar. There are shops there that could certainly sell you a fine watch."

"The Grand Bazaar? Exactly what is this establishment?" Luna inquired.

"Not one, but many. It is a huge collection of shops where one could buy... mostly anything."

"I am interested. Do you think I could go there today?"

"I suppose. This is a very high profile place, so I would have to schedule a security detail for you." Mikhail explained.

"Security would not be needed, I am good at laying low. I would need somepony who could translate the native language."

"Andrei could do that. Do you really wish to leave right this moment?"

"Indeed. My second objective coming here was to hopefully find a watch."

"Alright, I'll have Andrei meet you at your room. Oh, and, as for your troops. What should be done with them? I could have it arranged that they leave right now and have a helicopter stay for you." Mikhail suggested.

"It is quite alright. I would prefer for all of us to leave simultaneously."

"Understood."

With that, Mikhail turned and left in the direction Andrei had. Luna ended up following along, as the hallway lead to where her room was located.

"Bazaar is only few more blocks." Andrei spoke as he and Princess Luna walked down one of the many nearly pitch black streets, the only illumination coming from a lantern suspended in Luna's magic.

Luna made a small noise of acknowledgment.

At first glance only several small things could give away Luna's identity, but if one was to walk past it would be nearly impossible to identify her. She was wearing a heavy hooded coat, tall fur boots, a dark green scarf, and a slightly utilitarian-styled saddle-bag. The heavy coat was able to cover up her mane via the hood, and the coats tail was long enough in order to allow her tail to be tucked underneath.

"Tell me, what rumors do you hear about me?" Luna inquired.

"What you mean?"

"What do ponies say about me? The fact that I have been unable to raise the sun has surely caused them to get creative with their theories"

"Oh, uh... I have hear that you are keep the sun down on purpose, and you want night to be all time. I never had believe any of what hear." Andrei explained.

"That's really all you've heard? I've expected much worse."

Both Andrei and Luna went silent as they passed a mare carrying a crate of some sort on her back, the mare neither smiling or frowning as she passed. A moment later the two rounded a corner, the street becoming much wider as they turned onto a larger thoroughfare, the Bazaar was only a block away. The street had also become noisier with the chatter of ponies and the random, ambient noises of ponies doing business.

Luna took pleasure in the fact that many of the ponies they passed had not taken a second glance at her. Her intent wasn't to sneak around surreptitiously trying to purchase a watch, but her intent wasn't to attract absurd levels of attention by stepping in with an escort of 6 guards. As they entered the Bazaar Luna began to realize that it might be hard to find a shop or kiosk that would carry what she was looking for. The bazaar was, in the most extreme form of the word, eclectic. Every item could be bought or sold, the only thing that seemed out of the question thus far was land and structures.

"I had my doubts about being able to find what I'm looking for, but I think I'll reconsider," Luna shouted to Andrei over the noise of the bazaar.

"There is saying about bazaar, 'перейти ни с чем не отпуск со всеми', it mean 'go with nothing, leave with it all'. I hear you can buy house, but I of not see where to do. Might just be fake." Andrei spoke, his voice lowering from a shout towards the end of his statement.

Luna's lingual understanding of Equestrian was of a higher status from Andrei's, which, even though they both spoke Equestrian, often made it hard for them to understand each other. She was more of a victim than Andrei, many times had she stopped and thought for a moment to clearly get the meaning behind his words. For a pony who was supposed to be the President's assistant, it made her wonder why Andrei could not be better spoken in Equestrian.

"Oh! I get one of these fastly." Andrei said abruptly as he hurried towards a crowded stand.

Luna followed curiously, wondering what Andrei was so excited about. The small stand he had hurried towards was some sort of food stand, Luna couldn't read the Prussian sign hanging above it. She watched as Andrei conversed with the mare behind the counter, after giving her 2 bits from one of the pockets on his jacket the mare turned and took 2 small desserts, put each one in an individual paper sack, and finally gave them to Andrei.

"Here, you try one!" Andrei said, holding up one of the bags with a hoof.

She took the bag with a spell and took out a strange treat. It was a cylindrically shaped pastry, the flaky top layer of pastry was coated with a small amount of powdered sugar. It's center seemed to be filled with a sort of cream, Luna guessed the flavor was vanilla.

"So, exactly what is this?" Luna inquired, investigating the pastry with both her vision and smell.

"Is called Трубочки кремом, very good treat. It tradition food for a lot of us!"
(Torpedo Dessert) Andrei explained after taking a bite from his own pastry.

Without further questions, Luna took a bite from her pastry. She let out a groan of ecstasy from the splendid flavor and texture of the pastry.

"Good?"

"Mmmh, Very!"

Luna popped the rest of the treat into her mouth, thoroughly enjoying the savory flavor.

"Are these little delicacies only available in Stalliongrad?" She asked loudly.

"So far, I think yes. I never hear of them other places."

"That truly is a shame. These are too good to be kept a secret."

An hour had passed and only three out of the thousands of vendors, carts, and shops offered any sort of timekeeping pieces. At this point, Luna was ready to give up. True, the shops they had found had watches, but none of them were adequate for her tastes. She was looking for something very particular, yet she didn't know what it was.

The walking continued, but a certain shop caught Luna's eye. It's pearly white front seemed to gleam outward from the cold cobblestone and brick of the surrounding bazaar, the glass pane windows of the storefront made it look as if someone had chopped a ritzy jewelry store from some large city and tacked it into the middle of the plainly designed bazaar.

"Well, this place looks interesting!" Luna exclaimed, turning towards the shop.

"So shiny for be in bazaar, and sign says 'watches'! Just what you look for!" Andrei returned.

As they approached the entrance to the store a burly, dark brown stallion who had been standing close by intercepted them before they entered.

"Вы планируете покупать что-нибудь?"
(Do you plan on buying something?) He asked, his deep voice matching is appearance.

"Действительно, мы , сэр."
(Indeed we do, sir.) Andrei responded.

The stallion stepped to the side, allowing them entrance into the irregularly decorative and exquisite shop. Luna began to wonder if this shop was some sort of subsidiary of a larger company based in Manehattan or Canterlot. A finely dressed, thin faced stallion stepped over from one of the many glass display shelves to greet them.

"приветствуется. Что я должен помочь вам найти"
(Hello, what can I help you find?) He asked, a smile on his face.

"Мы ищем для часов, предпочтительно хороший."
(We are looking for a watch, preferably a nice one.) Andrei spoke in return.

"Хороший, да? Это подарок для своей жены?"
(A nice one, eh? Is it a gift for your mare friend, here?) The stallion said, looking towards Luna, who, unknown to him, was Princess Luna.

"Take off hood of yours, he think you and I are together." Andrei spoke to Luna.

She complied, pulling pack the hood of her coat with a spell, revealing her identity and the grin on her face. The stallion's face went from a welcoming smile to an utterly dumbfounded look of disbelief.

"Princess Luna?"

"Indeed. I assure you, we are in no sort of relation!" She spoke, chuckling towards the end of her sentence.

"Я служу, как ее переводчика, и она сказала, что мы не в отношениях."
(I am serving as her translator, and she said that we are not in a relationship.) Andrei said, laughing a bit himself.

"Ну, привет тебе, принцесса! Уверяю вас, что вы найдете идеальный часы здесь! Этот магазин имеет большой выбор прекрасных часов, я гарантирую,!"
(Well, greetings to you, Princess! I assure you that you will find the perfect timepiece here! This shop has largest selection of wonderful watches, I guarantee!) Exclaimed the stallion, his excitement showing visible and vocally.

"He is happy to see you, and says you find perfect watch from store, they have big selection." Andrei translated roughly.

"Tell him to show us the best watches he has to offer!"

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 13: Breakdown

This part holds significance. If you can't deal with the most minor amount of violence, I guess you can pass through.

Celestia had many hours to lie and think, but she could not remove a certain subject from her thought. Her sister, Luna, had been the focus of her thoughts. The thought that her sister had done this to her made her roil with heartbreak and rage every time it crossed her mind. If she was ever able to escape from her cell, things would be much worse off for Luna than they had been the first time Luna had attempted to take the throne from her.

Something had occurred to Celestia, Luna hadn't tried to take the throne, she had succeeded in taking it. Celestia wondered if Luna was happy, she wondered if Luna was sitting upon her own throne right now, smiling and knowing that her sister, somepony who had always been there for her and somepony who had always protected her, was being tortured violently and starved every day. Tears began welling up in Celestia's eyes as she thought of everything.

Why? Why would Luna be so incredibly cruel and absolutely heartless as to do this to her? Her sorrowful tears growing greater as, anger, pain, and sorrow took over her emotions. They had been together for nearly two thousand years, they had been through things that no living being had ever experienced, and Luna turns and takes the throne for herself?

It was all possible, it only made sense for Luna to return from the moon after being imprisoned for a thousand years and immediately attempt to take the throne a second time. How could Luna be so incredibly selfish? The only reason Luna had ever attempted to take the throne in the first place was jealousy, she wanted every living creature to see how great her precious night was. The night was useless! The night was only good for giving ponies time to sleep and time for the earth to cool from the sun.

How could she be so fatuous to think that her night was beautiful in any way? It was a rubbish thing to fight for, and an even more rubbish thing to have Celestia tortured to the near point of death for its cause.

Hate and anger began to boil through the walls of Celestia's sanity, she began to think of the things she would do once the finally ended the three excuses for life-forms that held her in her cell.

Luna's punishment for this would surpass any thousand years of imprisonment, it would surpass Celestia's own torture. She began to think of the things she would do to Luna. For the first time in her entire life, Celestia thought of taking her sister's life.

Luna had been trying to take the throne from her for more than a thousand years, and now Luna was attempting and succeeding at taking Celestia's own life. How could Luna have her own sister, the one who had cared for them both for the longest time, tortured every day and not expect some sort of severe consequence? The enmity and hatred inside Celestia's mind overwhelmed her thoughts.

With her teeth clenched and tears streaming down her cheeks, Celestia let out a scream of anger, her psyche almost tearing itself down as walls of rage and deep hatred blocked the rational side of Celestia's mind from the irrational. The wooden door at the top of the stairs opened swiftly, the horribly blurry figure of Shield Arc coming through the door.

"Shut up down here, I'm trying to eat dinner!" Shield Arc's voice said.

"Do you think I care!? The only way I'd care is if the food you were eating killed you!!" Celestia screamed at the top of her lungs, her vocal chords straining from the volume.

Instantly Shield Arc started coming down the wooden stairs of the basement.

"Coming down here to hurt me? Will that make you feel better, you..." Celestia's sentence stopped as she saw a figure she knew all too well step out of the basement door.

The figure appeared to be dark blue with a flowing, wavy, semi-transparent mane. Celestia felt a rage she had never felt in her life rise as she realized her sister, Princess Luna, was the one at the top of the stairs. She exited from the basement door and joined with Shield Arc at the bottom of the stairs.

"You!!" Celestia roared, her voice changing completely.

"What are you shouting about down here!?" Luna asked angrily, Celestia able to just barely make out Luna's glowing eyes as she came down the stairs.

"I am shouting about you, Luna!! Did you come all this way from my throne in Canterlot to come and see what you've done to me!?!" Screamed Celestia as she attempted to stand, but the excruciating pain and nausea caused by blood loss prevented her attempt.

There was a long pause from her sister, Celestia noticing that Luna and Sheild Arc had shared a glance.

"Your throne? I've already destroyed your throne, mine is the only one in the throne room, and for a good reason: you don't exist anymore!" Luna gloated.

Celestia's face contorted with flaming rage, her eyes tearing through Luna's.

"You think you'll get away with this, don't you!? You'll never be what I was, you'll never amount to what I was able to do for this world!! Your night is useless, as are you! Do you think turning me into your imaginary friend Nightmare Moon will do anything!?!" She bellowed in response, now only slouched against the concrete seat built into the wall behind her, her front legs draped over the seat in still futile attempt to stand.

Luna angrily undid the lock to the cell and entered, moving towards Celestia.

"Y-You are nothing but a child!"

Celestia's words ceased as Luna drove her hoof directly into Celestia's face, causing her to loose the grip she had on the concrete chair and slip back down onto the floor of the cell.

"You think you're power surpasses mine?!" Luna shouted, looking down at Celestia's crippled and weak figure

After a few seconds of regaining her bearings, Celestia pulled herself into the same slouched position she had held before the blow, her slouched height almost equaling Luna's fully stood height. Celestia burst out in a loud, maniacal laughter at her sister's unimposing figure.

"How do you expect to ever best me!? You always were the weak one, no matter what it came to!" She roared in fury.

In response, Luna flipped her sister over onto her back with the assistance of a spell and placed her right front and back hooves on Celestia's chest and stomach, firmly holding her down and restricting some of her breathing. With a spell, Luna took Celestia's mangled left leg and held it up, slowly beginning to twist at its base; consequently, Celestia let out a rough scream of agony.

"Weakness is your only virtue. You can talk about how you can stand up and walk around all day, but it doesn't change the fact that you lie here and cry like a filly every night!" Luna exclaimed as she twisted Celestia's broken leg.

After several grueling seconds Luna finally letting go, Celestia rolled and writhed on the concrete floor as the pain equal to having her leg broken ten times over completely immobilized her.

"I-I'm going to kill you!!" Celestia cried loudly, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

Luna was taken aback. She knew Celestia had threatened the lives of the three holding her in the cell, but threatening the life of her own sister? There must have been more damage than what appeared on the surface.

"You'd kill me? I'd honestly like to see you try." Luna mocked, stepping off Celestia.

"Y-You do all of this to me... a-and expect have no consequence? You truly are just a child!!."

"You're a lot meaner than you used to be, Celestia." Luna spoke.

"Y-You deserve no sympathy! Do you expect me to be kind? E-Especially with what you just did to my leg!?" Celestia shouted, her left leg cocked and pressed against her chest.

A few moments passed without any words between the two.

"Well, I think I'll be leaving now. I had traveled down here to make sure you were being treated properly, and I think these three have succeeded," Luna had turned for the door, but hadn't begun walking yet, "I've got a long flight back, and Admiral Cloud Drop has some business to go over." She finished, beginning to leave the cell and Celestia.

"W-wait. Is... is Cloud Drop part of this?" Celestia inquired in a heart-broken tone.

"Oh, yes. He has been for the longest time. In fact, he and I will be there with you on your final day... sister." Luna sneered as she walked up the steps, a bewildered looking Shield Arc following her up the stairs.

"Okayokayokay... wait a minute. Did she think you were Princess Luna?" Shield Arc stumbled after he and White Dust got to the top of the stairs.

"Yeah... I think so. I went with it, and I don't think she'll be too happy from now on." White responded after, in a completely improvised manner, just impersonated the Princess.

"What's going on?" Red Hoof called from the dining room.

White Dust was about to yell the story to Red, but he realized he was still standing near the basement door. He didn't want to ruin the surprise for Celestia. He and Shield walked into the kitchen, Red Hoof was still sitting where he had been before Celestia's noises had interrupted dinner.

"Celestia though White Dust was Princess Luna," Shield explained concisely.

Red Hoof set his spoon down on the table and looked at the two wildly.

"What? How?"

"I have absolutely no clue, but when she started off yelling at me I went with it," White said.

"So, you pretended to be Luna?"

"Yeah, and I think I just made the rest of her life a whole lot worse."

"Why? What happen?" Red asked.

"When we first got down there she was having some sort of emotional breakdown, and the second she saw me she went on about how I had come down from her throne in Canterlot to see what 'Princess Luna had done to her'," White explained.

"She must have hallucinated that you were Luna... actually, it's surprising it hasn't happened in the last few days. Severe damage to the Occipital cortex can cause hallucinations, as can head trauma in general, and, something else that seems to be an issue with her; insanity." Red responded verbosely.

"Yeah... it was, uh, interesting," Shield commented, obviously still confused by the previous happenings.

"Sounds like it."

Without further discussion of the incident, White and Shield sat down at the table and continued their meal.

Cloud Drop and Princess Twilight walked out onto the tarmac, both dressed in warm clothing, as they waited for the flight of helicopters Princess Luna was on board with to return.

"According to the letter she sent, the Princess was able to solve that issue between Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom," Twilight spoke, her breath clearly visible in the frigid air.

Cloud chuckled lightly.

"I knew she'd be a good leader." He said, smiling lightly.

"Excuse me?" Asked Twilight, her head snapping to his direction.

"Uh... Celestia and I had once talked about how Luna would, when it came her time, be a great leader." He explained, lying about Celestia and his 'discussion'.

Twilight turned her head back towards the runway, her initial suspicion mostly quelled by his response.

"Did Luna ever send a letter in response to your kind act?" Cloud asked a moment later, referencing how Twilight had given aid to a large mob a few days prior.

"No, actually, she didn't. I know she got the letter because you can't not get the letter, but she never acknowledged it. I guess she was busy and never got around to responding."

Suddenly, a series of extremely loud alarms began sounding, the sudden noise scarring Twilight half to death.

"What's happening!?" She yelled to Cloud Drop.

"No clue, but it's not good."

The door of an adjacent structure to where the two were standing opened swiftly, a group of what appeared to be fire fighters exiting the building as they rushed towards a small hanger-like building. Twilight's attention was drawn in the opposite direction as the siren of a fire fighting vehicle blasted into the air. The truck rushed towards the runway, upon reaching the strip of concrete it slammed to a halt as the 6 fire fighters hopped out and began to unravel several large hoses from the truck.

Over all of the sirens and alarms, the rumble of the helicopters finally became audible. Twilight and Cloud Drop stepped away from the door of the ATC and out into a more open spot, the first helicopter became visible. After a few moments the others banked around towards the runway, but they weren't following the first helicopter's formation. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it, there was no smoke and no visible damage, but it was flying differently. Instead of flying a slow, straight line as the other 18 helicopters were, it was coming towards the runway quickly, the tail pushed to one side as if it was in a heavy wind.

"The tail rotor is out." Cloud Drop said.

"What?"

"Look, the tail rotor isn't spinning." He stated.

Twilight was able to see that, indeed, the helicopter's tail rotor was not functioning.

"But, I thought that helicopters can't fly without the tail rotor!" She spoke.

"At low speeds, they can't. That's why it's coming in so fast, if they slowed down it would start to spin, the only thing keeping it from spinning is the air pushing against the sides of the body." Cloud explained.

As the helicopter got closer Twilight was able to see the sliding door on the side of the helicopter open, three Soldiers lined up at the door. She assumed they were preparing to jump out the second the helicopter touched the ground. The aircraft was now over the runway and had begun to slow down, as it did the yawing force became stronger. Finally, the 3 wheels of the aircraft touched down and the speed began to decrease, and as it did the tail began turning harder which caused the tail wheel to jitter and screech as it was pulled sideways. The Soldiers in the door began jumping from the quickly moving aircraft, most of them falling and sliding along the snowy tarmac. After a short time, the aircraft was totally empty of its former occupants.

The force on the tail wheel exceeded past its breaking point, and with a loud pop, the tail wheel ruptured. Without the friction of the rubber, the helicopter's spin became worse, and as the pilot tried to compensate the helicopter began tipping to the side opposite its spin. It looked as if it would tip over and dig its rotors into the ground, but in an instant the pilot pushed the aircraft back over before the rotors could strike the tarmac. Finally, the pilot pushed full down pitch on the helicopter's rotors, sticking it to the ground as it spun to a stop. After resting still for a moment the engine was shut off, and the rotors slowly came to a stop as ground crews and fire fighters rushed to the wounded aircraft.

"Well, that was extremely close." Cloud spoke calmly.

"Yeah... I was pretty sure there for a moment that thing was going to crash." Twilight responded after a relieved sigh.

The 18 helicopters that had been hovering nearby began moving again, re positioning themselves to land on the runway. Cloud Drop's attention was turned behind him as the door to the ATC opened, a mare dressed in a dark blue dress shirt exiting. She was one of the Air traffic controllers, as indicated by her shirt and a small pin near the collar.

"You need to convince the Princess to buy us some new helicopters, these things are dangerous." She spoke to Cloud Drop.

"Replacements for the entire fleet?" He returned.

"Yes. That's two incidents within a few days of each other, not to mention what happen to Princess Celestia."

"You've got a point. I'll see what I can do in ways of convincing her."

Twilight, who had been observing all of the action on the aerodrome, turned to address the Air controller.

"Is everypony okay? That was a pretty hard landing." She asked.

"Yeah, everypony except the Pilot."

"Is he hurt!?" Twilight asked, more concerned that previously.

"No, but she's angry. That same pilot and that same helicopter had tail rotor problems before the flight left for Stalliongrad, and needless to say, the Pilot isn't too happy." The Air controller explained.

"Oh, well... at least she's not injured."

One by one, the other 18 aircraft still in the air found their homes on the ground. After being instructed as to which one was Princess Luna's, Twilight and Cloud began across the tarmac towards one of the still running aircraft. As they got closer, the sliding door at the side was opened by one of the Ground Crew members, whom stood at attention in a rigid salute as Princess Luna exited the aircraft.

"Greetings! Good to see you two again! I hope that taking care of things here was not too difficult, hm?" Luna spoke over the sounds of the aerodrome.

"Where did you get that watch?" Cloud Drop asked, ignoring most of her statement as his eyes locked on to the sleek, flat black timepiece on her right hoof.

"Ah! Yes, I purchased it while in Stalliongrad. Some large market... the Great Bazaar, I think it was named."

"Grand Bazaar, your highness." Cloud corrected.

"Indeed."

"Luggage, your majesty." A female Ground Crew member informed, Luna's case standing next to her.

"Thank you, miss."

Upon taking her black luggage bag, Luna began off in the direction of the commotion surrounding the recently downed helicopter, Cloud Drop and Twilight followed behind.

"Did you get the mandate for the Library all taken care of?" Luna asked as they walked.

"Yes, I did."

"Ah, good! I am glad that my absence to fill out the important things was not an issue."

Twilight had almost asked what mandate the Princess was speaking of, but almost instantly knew the mandate mentioned was the one restricting anyone other than high-ranking officials from viewing Investigation documents. She felt a little nervous, having broken into the library to gain access to the Investigation on the crash Princess Celestia was involved in several days ago while Luna was absent in Stalliongrad.

"Well... Miss Twilight, I believe you can return to your home in Ponyville soon. I do hope you had an enjoyable time here." Spoke Luna as they walked, bringing Twilight's attention back to the conversation.

"A-Actually, your highness, I was going to stay a few more days. I packed for an extended stay, and I doubt that I'm seriously needed in the Library back in Ponyville." Returned Twilight.

"As you please."

A little more walking brought the trio to the crowd surrounding the crippled helicopter, the crowd being composed mostly of Ground Crew members who had not been involved in the actual event.

"I am so relieved that she did not crash." Luna spoke with a sigh, referring to the pilot of the helicopter.

"For a second I was very, very sure that this thing was going to tip over." Twilight added.

"Excuse me, your highness?" A slightly recognizable female voice asked from behind the group.

Luna turned to meet a tall, slender mare; her figure adorned with her flight suit and helmet.

"Yes, Pilot?"

"I'd like to have a word with you about something." She stated, seeming a little shaken.

Luna stepped aside from the group.

"What would your concern be?"

"Look, I understand that the Guard got these aircraft because they're simple, but they're unreliable! I really think you and the Guard should invest in that new contraption from Stas; the SN-32. It's a little more complicated, but it's a thousand times better than these piles of scrap. Ask the other pilots, I'm not the only one who feels this way." The pilot bantered, the emotion in her voice clear.

"You were the pilot who had the damaged tail-rotor." Luna stated, seeming to ignore the rant she had gotten from the Pilot.

"Yes, I was... and I don't think I've ever felt the fear of death." She spoke coldly.

"You and your comrades are the one's that must deal with these machines, so you would know more than any pony. You believe that this... SN-32 would prevent things like this happening again?"

"The SN-32 doesn't have a tail-rotor, so no, it wouldn't."

"I will speak with who I must, but I will promise you that you and your comrades shall receive these new aircraft," Luna concluded solidly, saluting the Pilot after her speech.

The Pilot saluted back, a smile resting upon her lips. Luna walked back to Cloud Drop and Twilight, who were both still standing near the damaged aircraft.

"Cloud, come with me. We have some research to delve into." She spoke firmly.

"Wait, on what?"

"A new aircraft."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 14: Addition to the Fleet

Cloud Drop groaned lightly as he woke up, his eyes wandering around his home as function returned to his body. He slowly pulled up his right leg, peering with blurry vision at his golden watch. 6:30 AM. Cloud pushed his front and back legs out in a long stretch, yawning loudly as he returned from sleep. After his stretch, Cloud's hoof raised to his face to discover that his eye-patch was no longer in place, which wasn't much of a big deal considering he had more than one. there was a small 'thump' that came from the kitchen, Cloud turned to see his furred friend walking in from the kitchen, presumably having just jumped from the counter to come ask for food.

"Meeeoooww!" The kitten whined, prancing back and forth.

Cloud smiled, pulling himself from his armchair, his movement causing the kitten to prance happily back to the kitchen. Just as Cloud was about to open the fridge to retrieve a bottle of milk, he stopped and looked back at the living room. The room was dimly lit by the deep, orange glow of dawn. Cloud ran from the kitchen to the eastern window of the living room to see the sun peeking over the mountains of the Everfree forest, it's warm light making the snow and ice covered landscape glow radiantly.

"The... the sun is up," Cloud spoke, turning towards the kitchen to address the kitten, "The sun is up!" He exclaimed fully to his feline resident.

"Meeoow!" Returned the kitten, the sound most likely being a deceleration for food.

Cloud turned back around, mostly ignoring the kitten's whining. Was Princess Luna finally able to raise the sun? A thought crossed his mind. Maybe Celestia had escaped from her cell in the Black Forest of Stalliongrad, and raised the sun as a call for help. He denounced the thought, although it was possible, the latter of Luna capturing the ability seemed more likely than not. After looking on at the scene outside the window for a few more moments, he turned and went back to the kitchen to provide the still whining kitten a bowl of milk. With his kitten now ravenously lapping up its breakfast, Cloud walked out of the kitchen and to the small bathroom to begin his typical morning routine, which with the advent of the sun being up, felt more normal than usual.

Ten minutes of showering, tooth brushing and other meticulous tasks, a pristine and fresh scented Cloud Drop stepped from his bathroom, his eye-patch still absent. He had always thought it useless to do such preparations in the morning when after a few hours most of it was undone if one was not extremely cautious with how they traveled. Before putting on his specialized armor, he quickly observed the golden timepiece on his front leg. 6:52 AM. Relatively regular time to be ready by. There was a knock at the door, something Cloud certainly hadn't expected. Upon opening the door, he was met by the glowing, slit pupiled eyes of Star Yield.

"Well, you usually don't show up here unless it's important." Cloud observed, stepping aside to allow Star entrance.

"Yes, and important this is." Returned Star upon entering, the first thing his eyes went to was the deep scar across Cloud's muzzle and eye.

"Is this about the sun being up?" Asked a rather concerned Cloud Drop as he sat himself down in his armchair.

"No, actually. The Princess has finally harnessed the power to raise it. Remember all of those incident reports that you had protected under the word of the Princess?" Star Yield asked, specifically mentioning the details about the crash Celestia was involved in.

"Oh boy, what happen?"

"One of our sisters informed me that Mrs. Sparkle broke into the Library several nights ago and stole those documents, the Royal Guard hasn't informed Princess Luna yet, or confronted Twilight about it."

"So, should I tell Luna, confront Twilight, what exactly?"

"Doing both would be good, specifically with confronting Twilight, though, try to learn what she has learned, we need to keep ahead of her."

"Understood."

Star stood for a moment, noticing Cloud Drop's cleanness and lack of armor.

"Were you about to leave?"

"Yes. You got here just in time, right as you knocked on the door I was about to put on my armor."

"Ah, well, I won't keep you longer. Now, if you can't find out anything without being suspicious, don't try." Star explained as he turned for the door.

"Alright, well, have a good day."

"You too, Admiral. Oh, yeah, my presence was requested by the three holding Celestia captive, apparently, they need their Auras restored, so I'll be absent for the next week or so." Star stated, pausing before his departure.

"Celestia's still able to tear it down, huh?"

"I suppose so. I was planning on visiting Celestia, anyway, a kind of halfway checkpoint, seeing as the day of the Solar Eclipse is only 12 days off."

"Still quite a ways off."

"Indeed."

There was a slightly awkward moment of silence as the two ran out of conversational ammunition.

"Well, have a good day." Star finally spoke.

Cloud gave a nod in acknowledgment.

With those final words, Star Yield left from Cloud's home. Cloud stepped to the area in which his armor lay, and began the usually difficult task of installing the padded, thick plates to his figure. After a while's struggle, he was fully suited, helmet, leg guards, chest plate, belly plate and all. By outward appearances, Cloud looked 100 percent prepared to enter a battle, other than his lack of weaponry.

After almost forgetting, Cloud turned away from the door to his home and went back down the hall to the bedroom in order to retrieve a new eye-patch, as his previous one was lost somewhere in the home. Upon exiting the bedroom with his new patch, Cloud walked to the main door and prepared to leave, just as he did a small meow came from the kitten. He turned around to see said kitten sitting near the entrance to the kitchen.

"You probably want to come with again, don't you."

"Meew!"

"Alright." Cloud chuckled, picking up his saddlebag (which was not the same bag Star had initially donated him) and set it on the hardwood floor to allow the kitten entrance.

The kitten happily trotted to the bag, sniffing around the lip of the satchel before climbing inside. With the kitten riding at his haunches, Cloud Drop departed from his home, a warm feeling coming over him as he lifted off the snowy earth and observed the radiantly glowing landscape of Equestria. For the first time in a while, he was genuinely excited for the hour long flight to Canterlot Castle.

"So you got the sun up?" Cloud asked, standing at one of the many East Wing Dining room's windows at the brightly lit 9:00 AM o'clock landscape.

"Indeed, I have," Luna yawned, her eyes barely open as she slouched at the Dining table, "It took nearly every ounce of energy in my being."

"Well... if you're tired, why not go to bed?"

"I still have many things to do. My nocturnality is not a plus when no pony else is nocturnal."

Cloud nodded and turned back to the window.

After a moment's silence, a saddened sigh came from Luna.

"I wish Celestia was still here... so she could see this. For the longest time, she had said how one day she should teach me to raise the sun. She... said it would be a fitting skill for me to possess since she had taught herself to raise my moon."

There was a moment of pause between the two.

"I don't want to cause any trouble here... but have you thought of taking Equestria for yourself?" He spoke after a while's thought, still not looking at Luna directly.

"I already have it."

"No... I mean, ignoring what the people say and what Celestia has told you, doing what you did a thousand years ago." Cloud clarified, a bit scared by the possible reactions to his words.

Luna turned her head, looking around the room to assure the two were in fact alone.

"A... few times. I know that, right now, I could never raise the sun again, delete all knowledge of my sister's former existence, and execute all of the plans I had before... but I cannot bring myself to do such a thing. I squandered a thousand years of my life, ruined several hundred of my follower's lives, and nearly caused a war, to do what you have described; however, everything is right in place for me to take, and I cannot do it." She explained deeply.

Silence fell over the room, both Cloud and Luna thinking deeply.

"If... If I did take over completely... what would you do; theoretically?" A shifty, nervous Luna inquired after a moment.

"Help."

"You... you'd help?" She probed, surprised by the answer.

"My job, other than being a Commander and Tactician, is a Guard, Adjutant, and Servant. Whatever you do, I'm obligated to assist." Cloud returned firmly while suppressing the urge to inform Luna that, with the New Order, her fantasy was more reality than she thought.

"R-really? But, you were so loyal to my sister..."

"She's not the one ruling; you are."

Luna held her silence.

"You know... I thought of something. You mentioned erasing all knowledge of your sister's previous existence... but isn't that the exact thing she did to you?"

Luna was taken aback by the epiphany Cloud Drop had given her.

"I mean, up until you were unbanished, I had no idea you even existed. None of us did. This castle bears almost zero indication you even exist other than the things we added after you returned, and right now you're the only one ruling any of it! Honestly, it makes perfect sense to replace all of the suns with moons, fire most of the administrators, and make the night last forever." Cloud explained, nearly summarizing every ideal behind the New Order's agenda.

Luna stood completely rigid, her mind having a hard time coping with the fact Cloud, of all ponies, had said this.

"You... you are right. It makes perfect sense. But... the eternal night would fail... our environment is too depended on the light brought by the sun. And... even though; yes, my sister took me from the memories of Equestria, turning me into nothing but myth and legend... I do not exactly wish the same. She... had her reasons behind doing so. It was to protect my name. By making me a myth, it prevented me from becoming alienated to the people. For that... I do thank her."

Luna paused for a long while.

"Having banners adorned with the moon put up or adding new stained glass windows beholding my likelihood would be my only wish. I care not for revenge, as I have no qualms with... sister. I do not wish to defile her name, likelyhood, and legacy by removing her from what she upheld and created. She... was more than the world to me. There is no purpose in fighting a war that never existed."

Luna's words struck the Admiral like a brick. How was the New Order supposed to succeed in getting Luna on their side if she felt this way?

"So... you don't want to do what I've mentioned?" He asked.

Luna stuttered for a moment, trying to find words to describe exactly how she felt.

"If I was to shorten my thoughts... no. But... as for minor changes to give myself at least some presence, I have thought a change in our Air Guard's insignia would be a wonderful venture. I have been working with the Division operating the aircraft for a while now, and we've finally come to a decision on what to purchase; this is a most opportune time for the suggestion."

"We're purchasing new aircraft?"

"Yes, do you not remember when I mentioned it to you two days time ago?" She inquired, speaking of the few words exchanged between the two on the Aerodrome after one of the 19 helicopters had an accident.

"Oh... right. Well, what did you and the Division choose?"

"After a long time of research, we have opted for ordering 22 of those odd SN-32 machines, and three of these very large machines, but... its name has slipped my mind."

"22 SN-32s and 3 somethings. That's quite the upgrade to our current fleet." Cloud noted.

"Not adding; replacing, Admiral. The H-34s we currently operate will be sold back to their manufacturer, with that, our entire fleet will consist of these 25 new aircraft. We may also be able to put our new insignia idea into effect! It might help to have you at my side, I feel this idea would be shot down quickly if I alone were to propose it." Explained Luna.

"I think you're right. Considering your past, having me as a second speaker would work to your advantage."

The conversation was interrupted by someone entering, the light clank of armor-plating audible from the hallway.

"Your Highness?" A female Guard asked upon entering, her figure adorned with the standard issue gold-plated armor.

"Yes?"

"101st Airborne Division Command is requesting you in the North Wing Conference room."

"Understood, give the Admiral and myself a moment."

The mare gave a salute and exited the dining hall.

"So, shall you and I propose the insignia change now? I am sure Division Command wishes my presence for more decision making." Luna spoke.

"We should propose the idea now, but... we don't have a new design."

"A modification of the current one would be the best option..." She elaborated, pausing in thought, "Instead of a sun at the center of the shield, how about a moon? Only one new stencil for painting would have to be created, the shield stencil can stay the exact same!" She finished, rather excited about the whole idea.

"Sounds perfect to me."

"Alright then! Let us depart, it would be rude to keep the Commanders waiting."

The first of many steps towards the achievement of Luna's wishes had been climbed. After only a few minutes of explaining, the three Division Commanders had agreed to the change of the insignia, as well as the patches, badges, and other markings throughout the Guard associated with the Air Force. Along with the change in insignia, the final preparations and paperwork had been done in order for the deletion of the Glass Wing Bureau's 19 H-34s and the addition of 22 SN-32s and 3 V-24s. Luna was specifically excited to see these new V-24 machines. The large aircraft held the current record for the largest ever created, as well as the fastest.

With their intense size and cost, they had a huge advantage; a single aircraft could carry a complement of 45 lightly loaded troops. A mere three aircraft could carry a little less than the entirety of the previous 19 H-34s. The SN-32 also had its advantages. Despite being smaller, it was faster than the H-34 by a whole 73 km/h, and only carried 2 troops less than the latter aircraft. One of the small downsides to the SN-32 over most aircraft was the complexity of the machines rotors, which required more complex maintenance. For the new batch of helicopters on order, the pros outweighed the cons by a significant margin.

To both Luna and Cloud Drop, it had appeared that the decision-making process would take a week or more, but both Division Command and the higher ranking Pilots had made up their minds fairly quickly (not every single pilot had been included in the discussion, as each aircraft had five or six pilots to it.) The only thing left to do in the process was pass the request through the Treasury to ensure funds would be allocated and return the 19 helicopters to the Glass Wing Design Bureau and receive the promised 80% refund on the aircraft.

The Glass Wing Bureau, oddly enough, had no grudges to hold for the Guard choosing a different Bureau's aircraft. In fact, it had been a burden raised from them, as the Bureau had been trying to phase the popular H-34 out of service for almost 4 years in order to introduce newer designs. It had become more expensive to produce spare parts and maintain the aircraft than replace them with newer examples, especially since the list of those able to operate any significant number of aircraft was quite short.

With all of the final decisions made, Luna and Cloud were allowed to leave the North Wing's Conference room to go back to their daily duties.

"I am rather excited for these new machines to arrive. I have never seen either one in the flesh as of yet." Luna stated as the two traveled through the halls, the morning's light causing the white marble and granite to glow in a wonderful array of oranges and yellows.

"And on top of that, they'll have our new markings," Cloud added.

"Ah, yes! That is right,"

Luna stopped, thinking for a moment as she remembered something she had been meaning to ask,

"I have been wondering, what exactly should we tell Twilight if she decides to inquire about the changes? Just from observing her behavior, I believe she suspects me of having some, if not all, involvement in my Sister's death. The fact she thinks I would have my sister's life ended just to take over Equestria is... infuriating. My presence in history was altered, my former friends and followers were imprisoned, and I lost a whole thousand years of my life for what I did, and not once did I ever even dream of taking her life. My plans only ever extended to the point of having her powers removed, but even that was bordering on the extreme." Luna ranted lucidly, a slight bit of anger being clear in her voice.

Cloud's entire view of the New Order and its goals began changing rapidly. The entire point behind it was to help Princess Luna raise to a full, glorious reign and have Nightmare Moon resurrected. The seemingly fatal flaw was the lack of Luna's knowledge of the group or its activities.

After hearing Luna's speech, Cloud could only begin to imagine how Luna would react to hearing of how her sister has been tortured brutally for a near half month. How exactly was the New Order helping Luna if nearly everything it accomplished would infuriate the Princess? Cloud did, indeed, wish to help Luna succeed in her goals inside and outside the Castle, but the New Order began to show itself as a terrible idea, even if it was, ultimately, Luna's fault. (This said, she had no direct influence at all, and her only contribution was the Aura spell, which had been created a long thousand years ago.)

"I am sorry for my rant... I have had a lot on my mind lately." Luna spoke tiredly after a moment.

"I don't mind."

"Things have been hard. First, Celestia... Celestia disappears from my life... and then I have to instantly take over her entire kingdom. I have been tired for a whole two weeks now."

"Go to bed, then. Nothing important it happening."

Luna sighed.

"You are right, I should head off to get some sleep. It is near the time I would normally be in bed, anyway." She agreed after observing the watch she had purchased at the Grand Bazaar in Stalliongrad.

"Your highness?" A male voice asked from behind the two.

Both Luna and Cloud stopped to turn and see the solitary Castle Police official that had spoken. The Castle Police was a branch of the guard that dealt only with matters within the Castle, as some things that happen didn't require the use of fully armed Military personnel. The unicorn that had spoken was of moderate height, his fur a deep brown with a few white spots near his rear half. His uniform markings and armor indicated his position of a Lieutenant in the relatively new organization.

The Castle Police had vastly different uniforms from the regular Guard purely for identification, and the Police had no need for all of the bulky armor normal soldiers wore. This particular Officer's uniform consisted of a dark gray jacket with 'CP' written on the chest in white letters, silver (instead of gold) plated shoes, and silver leg guards, the flat and thick metal strips meant to deflect both swords and magic.

"Yes, Officer?" Luna inquired.

"Three nights ago Princess Twilight Sparkle broke into the Royal Canterlot Library and took several documents you had specifically restricted." The Officer explained.

Luna's brow furrowed.

"What!?" Luna gave a groan of frustration, "this is the last thing I need as of right now, I am already stressed enough as it is."

"The Library Administrators have requested that the documents be returned as soon as possible, and are considering the possibility of a fine, as one of the window's locks was damaged."

Luna shook her head, sighing loudly as she took a few steps to the side.

"Twilight is such a smart pony, how in the world could she have done something so stupid!? You say that the Library wishes to impose a fine on her?"

"Yes. They didn't really say how much the lock was damaged, but they did say that they'd leave the fining decision up to you." The Officer explained further.

"Well, Admiral, I think you and I should go have a word with Ms. Sparkle," Luna spoke in a frustrated tone, her already unfavorable mood becoming worse.

"The Officer and I can handle it, you need to get some rest," Cloud informed.

"I appreciate the offer, but I feel it best if I accompanied the two of you. Besides, I feel like shouting at somepony," Luna explained angrily as she began walking, both Cloud and the Officer following behind.

Twilight was beginning to become annoyed. She had been in her room for the entire morning sitting in front of the documents she took from the library trying to find something of solid evidence proving Celestia's helicopter hadn't simply crashed, and almost nothing had come up. The only thing worth mentioning was one particular photograph, there was something that set the 4 x 6 black and white picture from the rest. The particular shot was of the nose, specifically the top of the engine cowling and the front windows of the cockpit glass. The first oddity she had spotted was the lack of detailed description.

Every other photo had a 3 to 4 sentence long explanation typed in the void below the photo, yet her suspect picture simply said 'nose of aircraft.' In the mentioned photo, it was visible that there were puncture holes in both the cockpit glass and the engine cowling, the odd thing was how they seemed to line up.

She had thought that the holes had been created by some sort of engine component traveling at high velocity, but the engine had never exploded; however, the fuel tank had ruptured and exploded, but the blast was nowhere near the location of the nose. The only thing completely feasible Twilight could think of was a high-powered magic spell, one only known and used by the Royal Guard. As much as she didn't want to think so, it seemed more and more likely that Princess Luna had some sort of involvement.

At first, it had sounded crazy, but the more she looked at the photo it became more plausible; the hole in the top of the engine cowling had no outward feathering, which showed that the blast and not come from within the engine, and the hole in the glass was very perfect, only several cracks surrounded it. If some sort of engine component had gone through, the hole in the cowling would flower outward, and the hole in the glass windscreen would be much more broken.

She hated to think so, but the photo was somewhat good evidence that Celestia's helicopter was shot down; however, the only way she could actually prove that the holes had not come from an engine component would be to visit the crash site herself and check for an entrance hole in the bottom of the cowling, because if a bolt of energy had blasted through the engine, there would be a third puncture hole.

The only way to be one hundred percent positive would be to check the crash site herself; which wouldn't be that difficult of a task, as Princess Luna had ordered for the wreckage to be preserved as a memorial.

There was a second thing she had begun to notice about the photos; the report claimed that the cause of the crash had been a heavy blizzard, but the wreckage had no snow cover whatsoever.

Indeed, the helicopter's fuel tank had exploded, which would have melted some snow away, but in the high-angle aerial photographs it was easy to see that the fuel hadn't burned for long; consequently, there would have been enough time for snow to fall on the fuselage and tail, but every inch of the wreckage proved bare of snow.

Twilight set the group of pictures back down on the table in front of her in exchange for the Incident report file itself, and with the paper now suspended in her magic, Twilight browsed over the information.

"Estimated time of incident: 0500 AM, Dec 16th. First responder time of arrival: 1310 PM, Dec 16th. Wait a minute, that's only... 8 hours difference between when it happen and when Rescue teams got to the crash. There's no way they were able to get there that fast, or even hear about the accident that fast! The report said that no SOS call had been made prior to the crash, so how did they find out about it so quickly?" Twilight spoke to herself; a third piece of evidence coming to light.

She began to realize that the only way Rescue teams could have gotten to the wreckage that fast is if they had been close by already, or if they had already know about the accident, as it took Celestia's helicopter almost an entire day just to reach the border where it had crashed. If there had been an SOS call right as the aircraft crashed and Rescue teams from Stalliongrad made their way to the site, it would have taken the 13 hours the report said it had taken, but there was a second issue; the first Rescue team to arrive hadn't been Stalliongradian, it had been Equestrian.

Things weren't lining up.

To Twilight's surprise, there was a loud, solid knock on the door to her room, the sudden sound startling the busy Alicorn.

"Who is it?" Twilight asked loudly, beginning to hide the Investigation documents under some of the other books on the table in front of her.

"It is I, Ms. Sparkle. I request you open this door, as you have some explaining to do." The angered voice of Princess Luna said through the door.

Butterflies began in Twilight's stomach. How did they know she had taken the documents? She had been so careful!

"Oh... come in," Twilight spoke nervously, opening the door with her magic as she stood to greet the Princess.

Luna stepped in through the now open doorway, Cloud Drop and a Lieutenant of the Castle Police stepping in along with her.

"I have known you for a while's time know, Sparkle, and I have never known you to do something so foolish." The Princess went on as she stepped to Twilight

"What exactly are you speaking of, Princess?" Twilight asked nervously.

"The restricted documents you stole from the Royal Library!"

Twilight's ears fell against her head, slightly ashamed of her actions. (though, only ashamed because she had been caught)

"Princess, I only took the papers because I..."

"I already know why you took the documents, Sparkle. You suspect myself and my staff of involvement in my Sister's death, which, for me, is already infuriating enough." Luna interrupted unhappily.

Twilight didn't respond.

"Well, where are you hiding all of these papers? The Library has requested their immediate return, and I plan on fulfilling that request.

A stack of books on the coffee table became surrounded by Twilight's magic as they were lifted into the air, the Crash Investigation file lying below them. Luna took the file with her magic, handing it off to the Castle Police Officer standing near her.

"I understand you are upset about my sister's death; everyone is, but that doesn't give you the right to go breaking into places to steal documents I have had classified. I am already under enough stress as it is, the absolute last thing I need to deal with is you, Sparkle."
Luna added angrily as she turned for the door.

"Why did you have the Investigation papers restricted, anyway?" Twilight asked.

Luna stopped, her already inflammatory mood getting a little worse.

"To keep ponies like yourself from either tampering with them or spreading rumors! Why do you suspect me of involvement, anyway, Ms. Sparkle? I am more than happy to hear what stupid ideas you have!" The Princess yelled, stepping back into the room.

Twilight fumbled with her words, her nerves getting the best of her as she struggled to find anything to say.

"Do you genuinely believe that I would have my Sister killed? I understand you feel my past with her had not been the best, but even when I had attempted to overthrow her, never once had I dreamt of bringing harm to her!" Luna gave a sigh of anger, rubbing her face with a hoof, "I am done talking to you. Admiral, see that Mrs. Sparkle leaves, and Lieutenant, see that the documents are returned to the Library." She spoke, going for the door once more.

"You're having me kicked out of my own home?" Twilight inquired in a confused manner.

"Go home, Sparkle. Continue your research somewhere I do not have to hear about it."
The Princess stated, finally exiting the room.

Nº 15: Departure

"Here." White Dust droned, lowering the usual plate of food down to rest in front of Celestia, who was sitting with her hooves between her haunches a slight distance from the concrete seat mounted on the wall, her left hoof raised slightly to minimize the pain to her mangled left leg.

Physically, it was easy to tell that the constant beatings were not the sole cause of Celestia's extremely unstable and weak health state. Over the now 19 days she had been held captive, the meager one meal a day she had been receiving had chiseled away at her once filled-in and healthy figure; her rib cage clearly visible and her stomach recessed inwards. Accompanying the crippling pain of hunger was the paranoia, stress, and fear from both the constant torture and lack of sleep.

Celestia was, at best, receiving around 3 to 4 hours of sleep a day, which had been caused by a barrage of nightmares and the pain and discomfort caused by her wounds. She felt weak for having the wish, but Celestia had genuinely wanted her life to end. A weeks time ago, she had hopes of escaping, but every last bit of hope had evaporated.

"Are you going to do that thing where you don't eat, then I beat you until you do?" White asked angrily, making Celestia look up.

"Does it matter when I eat? I doubt the food will get any worse after a few minutes." Celestia responded, her voice slightly distorted by her broken jaw and nose.

White stared at her for a moment before taking a clump of Celestia's blood-matted hair with his magic, thrusting her face into the concrete floor in front of her plate. The impact created a loud crack, Celestia's nose breaking in a new place. A few seconds passed before Celestia began lifting her head back up, a steady drip of blood coming from both nostrils. Celestia coughed loudly, blood spraying from her mouth and nose and onto the plate of food that lay in front of her.

"You're still eating that." The White Stallion informed, looking into Celestia's rage-filled eyes.

Out of pure anger, Celestia took the plate with her hoof and swiftly hurled it White's direction, the plate missing by a few inches, sailing past and striking the wall at the opposite end of the cell; consequently, a field of food and broken glass flying into the air. White turned back from watching the plate to Celestia, his horn lighting up as he took her throat and front legs in his magic.

"You have horrible aim. What exactly did you wish to accomplish with that?" He asked, tightening his grip around her throat.

Blood dripped from Celestia's nose and mouth as she choked, her back legs flailing in protest. With his magic, White moved Celestia from her current spot to the wall of the cell across from the concrete seat, pushing her body firmly against the wall. With her front legs and throat still in his grip, White began thrashing his hoof across the side of Celestia's head. With her back legs still free, Celestia was able to land a kick to the White Stallion's back leg, the hit landing at the same time as he swung at Celestia's head.

The impact sent White's hoof in an unintended direction, causing his hoof to clip and detach the magic inhibitor ring around the base of Celestia's horn. The second the ring came undone, Celestia's magical abilities surged back from their dormant state like a jolt of electricity, a strange shock of energy flowing through her body.

Instantly, Celestia encompassed White's entire figure with a spell, ceasing any movement he might try to make and stopping any spells he might cast. A grin began dawning across Celestia's bloody lips, the smile evolving into a slow, broken chuckle. White's face changed to a look of pure horror as everything that had just happened began to register.

"Oh, you have made quite the mistake... y-you have made... quite the mistake!" Celestia burst out in a fit of evil, almost insane laughter as she began to attempt to stand, "And just as I began to lose hope of ever leaving! You listen to me well... once I end the three of your worthless lives... I'm going after your so called 'True Leader'. We shall see just how powerful she is with a hole in her head!" Celestia snarled, her eyes still fixed on those of a completely paralyzed White Dust.

Before doing anything further, Celestia levitated the magic inhibitor, which had landed a few feet away, into the air and firmly dropped it down upon White's horn. With his magic cut off, Celestia ceased holding White with her own spell, the Stallion standing rigidly after being released.

"N-now, I want you... I want you to c-come at me with that knife of yours... we'll s-see how well you fare now!" Celestia burst, now only half stood up, intense pain slowing her progress.

The door at the top of the stairs opened, the Pony with the Glasses exiting from the doorway.

"Has she not eaten yet? What's taking so lo..." Red spoke, stopping as his eyes locked onto the brightly glowing horn of Celestia.

A bright crack of energy left Celestia's horn and passed cleanly through Red Hoof's chest, a red mist becoming airborne after the bolt impacted. Every muscle in Red Hoof's body relaxed instantly, his body dropping to the floor; dead the instant the bolt struck as it had passed directly through his heart. White Dust let out a scream of sorrow, his hoof stretched outward towards Red's body.

"You're going to wish you were dead, you understand!?!" White Dust boomed, deploying the concealed blade fixed to his shoe as he turned to face Celestia.

Without a bit of hesitation, Celestia took White's throat in her magic, slamming him into the floor as she began strangling him.

"You won't be needing this." Celestia spoke monotonously as she detached the blade-equipped shoe from White's hoof.

"I-I'll... m-make yo-you pay..." He struggled in response.

Celestia examined the piece for a second before finding out exactly how to adjust the diameter of the weapon. With the weapon properly adjusted, Celestia slipped the shoe onto her right hoof, with her re-commissioned blade at the ready, Celestia pulled White back from the floor to a standing position, her magic still holding his throat tightly.

"I am going... to make you feel... every single ounce of fear and pain you made me feel!" Celestia barked, her shaky figure now fully standing, her left leg lifted off the ground to prevent any further pain from its series of extreme injuries.

After not receiving an answer, Celestia pulled White closer to herself and encompassed the magic inhibitor with a spell, a second later the ring exploding with a crack, the blast cleanly severing White's horn. He let out a scream of agony, pain surging through his entire body. Celestia tightened her grip around White's throat to the point where he could no longer scream, only make small choking noises.

"Remember all the times you told me to shut up after you hurt me!? Do you!?"

Celestia's attention was drawn back to the top of the stairs as Shield Arc became visible, his eyes fixed on the bloodied body of Red Hoof. The room lit up once more as a bolt of energy shot from Celestia's horn right through Shield's front right leg, the bolt going directly through the joint. Shield collapsed to the floor, his yells of pain filling the small cell.

With a new target, Celestia threw White's limp, nearly asphyxiated body to the side of the cell where he lay coughing and gasping for air after having his throat tightly clenched for nearly a minute. Shield's front legs became encompassed in Celestia's magic as she pulled him down the stairs of the cell. After Shield's painful journey to the base of the stairs, Celestia began taking a few wobbly steps towards the wounded Stallion.

"If you touch him, I'll snap your neck!" White yelled, scrambling to a standing position as he rushed towards Celestia.

Just as White was in range to land a hit, Celestia blocked his attack with a small force field spell, the shield of energy bouncing the White Stallion's hoof back. Before he was able to regain any sort of balance, a beam of energy left Celestia's horn and passed right through his front leg, the now crippled Stallion falling to the floor much like Shield Arc had.

"I'm getting tired of you being able to walk." Celestia taunted, restraining all four of White's legs as she pinned him to the floor.

After a few steps towards White, Celestia drove the 8-inch blade attached to her hoof directly into the White Stallion's spine, the blade landing at the joint between two spinal discs. Celestia began twisting the blade, the action pushing the two disks further apart and tearing more nerve links; completely paralyzing White's rear half. Shield had managed to push himself over to Celestia and White in order to pull the knife out of White's back, the second he did Celestia's attention snapped to him.

"Oh, very, very noble of you... but nothing you can do will save either of you!" Celestia yelled as she drove the blade into Shield's chest, causing him to exclaim in agony, "I'm ending this here!"

Celestia pulled the blade from Shield's chest, taking his front legs in her magic and pulled him up against the wall of the cell, restraining his torso to prevent him from kicking her. She looked over at the shaking, bloodied figure of the White Stallion, one of his back legs twitching sporadically from the severe nerve damage she had inflicted. Celestia took White's neck in her magic and forced his head around to face her and Shield, forcing him to watch.

"P-please... don't kill me." Shield pleaded, his teary eyes locked onto Celestia's blade.

"Oh, how many times I pleaded to the three of you. 'Please don't hurt me anymore!', 'Please don't stab me anymore!'. How many times did you listen to me, hm!? Why should I show you any sort of mercy!?! Give me a single reason!!" Celestia screamed, rage flaming in her voice.

"I-I have a daughter... a-and a wife, p-please... I want to see them again..." Shield cried in response.

Celestia cocked her head, looking into Shield's eyes, "I'll make this quick for you."

With a single action, Celestia slashed the blade across Shield Arc's throat, his eyes widening as he tried to scream. The magical restraints around his limbs disappeared, Shield's body falling to the floor as blood squirted from the gash in his throat each time his heart beat, the blood now beginning to come from his mouth and nose.

"No! Shield!!" White Dust screamed, Celestia's magic stopping him from pulling himself towards his dying friend.

"Stop screaming so much!" Celestia barked as she tightened her grip, choking the White Stallion to the point where he couldn't speak.

She turned her head to see Shield writhing on the floor, his hooves at the gash in his throat as he attempted to stop the bleeding. Celestia turned herself away from White to face Shield, his eyes locking with hers as he bled to death.

"I'm sorry." Celestia spoke slowly.

His only response was to slowly shake his head from side to side, blood still flowing from the cut at a steady pace.

"D-do you actually think... killing us w-will make things better?" White mumbled.

"It will make things better. Only one thing stands between me... and my freedom." Celestia returned, beginning to stand up from her crouched position beside the body of Shield Arc.

After fully regaining her standing position, Celestia looked down at the crippled White Stallion that lay before her.

"W-what are you going... to do... once you leave, hm? Go back to being useless?" White commented.

Celestia threw her head back in laughter.

"Me? Useless? The entirety of Equestria is still intact because of myself. I have been alive for nearly two thousand years," She retorted, stepping closer to White.

"I have defeated every enemy that has stood in my path,"

Celestia raised her hoof above White's head, bringing the blade down onto the left side of his face.

"I have witnessed the rise and fall of entire nations!"

The knife was pulled from the bone and flesh, and brought back down in a similar spot,

"I have witnessed history before history was invented!"

The blade came back down again.

"I have learned more languages than any pony in existence!"

And again,

"I have created more spells than any pony in existence!!"

And again,

"I have ended wars!!"

And again,

"I have driven away invaders!!"

And again,

"I have met everyone and done everything you could think of!!!"

One final time, the blade stabbed into the horribly disfigured face of White Dust,

"So you tell me, how am I useless!!?"

Celestia's chest heaved with heavy breaths as she pulled the knife from the broken flesh and bone of the White Stallion's face, her eyes locked onto his single, undamaged eye, which still held the azure glow and slit-pupil appearance caused by the Aura. She slowly and painfully knelt down beside the nearly dead Stallion, his breathing slow and heavy.

"I w-want to know the truth... did my sister have you do this?" She asked slowly, her knife against White's throat.

The White Stallion gave a slow nod, the torn muscle and shattered bone of his mouth forming into a broken grin as blood poured from the multiple stab wounds. Immense pain and anger took over every emotion Celestia had left, her teeth clenching as she slashed across White's throat, several gurgles of blood coming from the new wound. White's front hooves did as Shield's had, and went to the slash in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. Celestia took both his front hooves in her magic, pulling them away from his throat as she glared into his remaining eye, watching as small streams of blood squirted from his main blood vessel, the squirts synchronized with his rapid heartbeat.

With the last energy remaining in his body, White managed to cough a spray of blood onto Celestia's face, causing her to recoil back. After using a hoof to wipe away some of the blood, Celestia looked back in time to see as White Dust drew his terminal breath, the Aura's spell releasing its grip, White's remaining eye returning to its normal state of being as the last of his life faded.

A deathly silence fell over the room, the only sounds being left were Celestia's heavy breaths and the quiet tapping of her left hoof as she used the wounded limb to keep her balance. The extreme rage that had built up over the past while slowly subsided, the wish for the lives of the three who had held her captive to end began fading as she realized a horrible truth. The Aura the three received could have been removed, their minds were forced to hate her, it was not their own decision.

A feeling of horror, dread and sadness fell over Celestia as she took a few steps back from the two bodies before her, her eyes darting from the mentioned two bodies to the body of Red Hoof at the top of the stairs. Question after question queued in Celestia's mind as some of her sanity returned, and she was able to think past the horrible things that had happened over the previous time. Had the death of these three actually been necessary, especially after the fact that only one of them had done nearly all the damage?

Celestia's eyes landed directly on the horribly mutilated face of the former White Dust, blood now soaked into a large portion of his white fur coat. She had killed three ponies. She had never killed anyone before. She had taken three lives that did not have to be taken. She could have easily restrained them or knocked them out, but she had gone down a road she could not reverse from. A tear rolled down Celestia's bruised and blood-soaked cheek and her left hoof raised to cover her mouth as the reality of her actions occurred.

Shield Arc had pleaded for his life on the grounds that he had a family to return to, and in response she had slit is throat, ending the life of someone who had not necessarily done anything to her. Celestia's already wobbly and weak legs failed her as she collapsed onto the concrete floor, several heavy cries coming from her quivering lips, a horrible feeling sweeping over her emotions.

"W-why did I kill them?" Celestia whimpered to herself.

Her body and thoughts were paralyzed by a crippling emotional pain, the only thing she could accomplish was to lie and cry loudly over her actions.

Celestia stood on the short porch of her prison home, taking a deep breath of the cold, evening's air. That breath was a breath of freedom. The first breath of air she had drawn in since her ordeal began a month ago that did not string from the scent of blood. With her newly constructed crutch, heavy winter clothing, and pack of supplies, she ventured down the steps of the porch into the snow and trees beyond. She followed the evening sun south in hopes of finding Stalliongrad's capital; she had no clue how far she was from any other town, and she knew not where in the vast Black Forest she was.

Without a map, it was daunting. The home, despite containing enough food, water, and various other supplies to keep her going, had no maps. In the two dufflebags strapped to the same frame once used to carry firewood was everything she could imagine; more bandages, plenty of Morphine, chemlights, flashlights, a pot and pan. What she carried would take 3 soldiers to carry.

Even with the excess weight of her supplies and heavy clothing she was able to move somewhat comfortably thanks to the crutch she had fabricated out of a chair and duct tape. The two morphine injectors she had stabbed into her thigh also helped. Much to her enjoyment, she wasn't all that cold; either.

She had found the winter clothing the light blue stallion had worn when he went to gather firewood; a coat, special utility pants, boots, socks, a scarf, goggles, and a hat. Everything had to be enlarged with a special spell, but once that had been done everything fit quite well. Her doubled up coats and socks were like wearing a heavy blanket; it was rather comfortable.

She was like a walking camp ground. Along with her large bags sat a sleeping bag and a cast iron pan that was hung from the side of one of the duffles with some para cord. Such a bag would have been menial in the past, but with how weak and torn every muscle in her legs were, it made it quite a chore to carry everything. It was a chore she could handle, however; she was determined.

The tip of her scarf was taken by a spell and brought up to her goggles, wiping away the fog that had formed thanks to her breath. While they weren't all too useful currently, she knew the drastic nature of the Black Forest's winter weather. Getting caught in a blinding snow storm and not being able to keep her eyes open was something she didn't desire.

Celestia paused a moment, turning and looking through the trees at her distant prison.

"I should have burned that place to the ground..."

Nº 16: Forest Dreams

Celestia's journey through the frozen woods had been going four hours as of current, the sun now fully set beyond the tree-laden horizon from when she had left the home at dusk. At the current time, Celestia found herself extremely grateful for 2 items; her flashlight and the several multicolored glow sticks, as the freezing cold Black Forest was completely pitch black, and the moon's light was of no help because of a heavy cloud bank that had rolled in hours earlier.

Celestia wished she would have been able to find a compass or map since she had no idea what heading she held or what part of the Black Forest she was in. The Black Forest was the second largest forest in the entirety of Equestria, and also served as a border marker for the nation of Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom; where the eastern part of the forest ended; the Gryphon Kingdom began. There were several towns located within the Forest itself, but without knowing the two things mentioned earlier; location and heading, it would be pure luck for her to actually stumble upon one of the towns.

She would have to wait until the daytime in order to do any sort of navigation; the sun's position in the sky would serve as her compass. South would be the best direction to travel, Stalliongrad's Capital was situated almost right at the bottom of the Black Forest, if she could make it to the Capital, she could alert President Mikhail to her situation and get herself into a hospital. After some thought, she realized a problem with her idea; the Capital was a dot compared to the immense Southern border of the Forest. Even if Celestia managed to exit the Forest perfectly at the center of the Southern border, there would be an entire hundred and fifty miles to comb in each direction in order for her to find where the City of the Capital was located.

The great amount of hope Celestia had gathered for herself began to melt away as she thought of just how far away everything was, and just how little supply she actually had. A fear began to grip Celestia's emotions the longer she thought about her situation; it seemed horribly impossible to find her way out of the forest, the possibility of her starving to death in the cold, lonely wilderness felt more likely than anything.

She wasn't one to give up, though; especially since she had only been in the forest for a mere four hours and fifteen minutes. She had taken several small breaks wherein she gave herself time to sit down, drink some water, and eat a few crackers and cheese before moving on, but now she felt the need to find a place to unroll her sleeping bag, build a fire, cook some dinner and call it the night. Celestia's movements paused as she scanned the surrounding area with the beam of light produced by her flashlight, the only thing being visible were trees, trees, and a few smaller trees.

She let out a sigh and continued on walking, it would be quite the task to find a nice area of rest in. The thought of finding a cave of sorts to sleep in had crossed her mind, but swiftly did she remember that the Black Forest was known for having an extremely high population of bears; however, most would be hibernating, but she didn't want to risk waking one if she happened to come across such a thing.

The walking and searching continued, Celestia's eyes following the flashlight beam everywhere it traveled in hopes that it would find someplace to rest. Luckily, by time Celestia had escaped from the house, her vision had cleared up almost 100% from the traumatic brain injury she had suffered, though things were still blurry through her left eye, as the White Stallion had caused quite a bit of damage to it physically.

After only a few more minutes of walking, Celestia found what looked to be a nice spot to settle down for the night; a huge pine tree (there were many other trees around, but this tree had the trait of being the only one with a canopy to extend most of the way to the forest floor). Underneath said pine tree was a perfect circle absent of snow, and the trees branches reached out enough to create a nice canopy. Celestia stepped over to the tree and knelt down, carefully unloading her big, clumsy pack from her figure and onto the pine needle laden ground beneath the tree.

She had not brought any firewood from the home, but that was not an issue, as plenty of deadfall lay on the forest floor, and with the assistance of her magic, she could turn the dead fall into nicely sized logs. Celestia stood up from her kneeling position and searched the surrounding area with her flashlight, the small scan quickly locating a few pieces of deadfall.

Without moving from her stood position near her tree, the Alicorn pulled the log across the icy snow with a spell, the log carving a nice path through the snow as it traveled. The log was now sliced into foot-long segments by Celestia's powerful magic, the spell used to cut the wood being one that only she and the Royal Guard knew because of its potentially destructive capability. With the logs cut, more magic was used to create a small, circular clearing in the snow to allow Celestia to place the logs in a semi-dry spot. She thought to build a proper fire using kindling and stacking techniques, but instead, the log was combusted with the use of a moderately powerful spell.

The single-log fire now burning nicely, Celestia knelt down and pulled herself under the tree beside her belongings and opened up one of the duffle bags held on her pack, a random can of food being picked from the mix of objects contained within. The fire's light was not enough to allow her to read the can's label, so the flashlight was once again produced, its bright beam allowing her to see that the can was filled with a kind of soup.

"Some warm soup would be quite nice about now." Celestia spoke to herself.

Happy with her selection, she turned back to her pack to get both the can opener and the gas-powered stove. With the can open and set upon the lit element of the stove, Celestia lay herself down into a more comfortable position, groaning lowly as she moved. Over the five hours since she had first administered herself with morphine its effect had not worn off in the slightest, a trait of the highly powerful medicine Celestia was happy with. One thing she was not happy with was the meager amount of heat being produced by the campfire; consequently, two more logs were added in order to incite a larger flame.

"There, maybe now this worthless fire will actually start keeping me warm."

Celestia had been just fine temperature wise when she was on the move, her body's natural temperature management working fine as her body burned calories, but the second she had laid down her body began shivering and her teeth set off clattering (more than they had already been). The two logs that Celestia had added were burning at a steady pace, the fire now produced creating enough heat to where her face no longer felt numb from the horribly cold air.

With the heat came light, something she realized might be an issue in the future; with just how much light the fire produced in comparison to the pitch blackness of the forest, it would be very easy to spot at a substantial distance. From the air, it would be ten times easier to spot, and Celestia was certain that both ground and airborne search teams would be used. Having remembered the soup still resting on the stove via her stomach growling, she discarded her train of thought and turned to address the now boiling soup. After nearly burning her lip from attempting to taste a spoonful of the liquid, the burner was turned off and the soup was left to cool, a process that would not take long given the temperature.

The soup had been consumed a mere minute after Celestia had turned off the burner, the temperature resting on a fine line between scolding and warm; perfect for how cold it was outside. With a stomach full of hot soup, thoughts turned to the sanctity of sleep as Celestia begun putting things back into their respective bags and unpacked her sleeping bag and few blankets.

As she looked at the bag and blankets, the realization that the task of entering the sleeping bag without tracking in a horrible amount of snow would be quite the undertaking. Having placed her temporary bed and blankets underneath the tree, Celestia slowly stood herself upright and began removing as much snow and frost from her heavy winter clothes as possible, the puffs of white dust seeming to shimmer in the orange light of the fire as the crystals settled to the earth. Now clean of snow, Celestia paused, looking thoughtfully at her bed as she figured ways of entering the sleeping bag with little or no snow getting inside.

After some thorough investigation and troubleshooting, a plan was worked out; Celestia had sat herself down on the portable bed and removed her heavy boots, she planned on keeping every other item of clothing on while she slept, but the boots didn't add much additional warmth and had a superfluous amount of snow packed into the tread. Boots off, she meticulously pulled herself into the warm, soft interior of the bag, the whole process allowing her entrance with almost zero moisture entering as well.

With the addition of the blankets, the horribly basic sleeping sack made a surprisingly comfortable bedding, especially with the floor beneath being made of soft pine needles instead of dirt and rocks. She thought to leave the fire burning through the night, but it would attract attention in a fashion that wouldn't allow her to counter it in any way, as whatever might be drawn to the flames would arrive while Celestia would be fast asleep.

With the thought, Celestia embraced each log in her magic and rolled them in the snowy blanket of the forest to snuff the flames, the action reducing each log to a charred, smoldering cylinder. With everything said and done, Celestia tried to relax and shut her eyes, a silent fear lurking in the back of her mind that something might attack while she slept.

~~~

Celestia's high-pitched scream of pure terror echoed through the Black Forest as she abruptly sat up, violently looked around her dim surroundings, eyes wide and body in a cold sweat as she awoke from one of her many nightmares. She scrambled to open her small supply bag that had been close by to retrieve her flashlight; with the object floating in her magic, she clicked the light on and fearfully scanned her surroundings, the beam of light protruding from her flashlight not revealing anything out of the ordinary.

"It was just a dream... it-it was just a dream, Celestia. No one hurt you, it w-was just a dream." She spoke frantically, using a hoof to feel her entire body to ensure her injuries had only been a product of her mind.

With visual confirmation that her wounds were not real (at least, the fatal ones inflicted in her nightmare), she allowed herself to calm down, her rapid breathing beginning to slow. Her nightmares had been odd in the fact that they were so vibrant and memorable. Normal dreams she had in the past felt like dreams, and once she awoke, most happenings couldn't be recalled, but the psychologically crippling nightmares plaguing her mind felt extremely real, and thus far, most of what happen could be recalled and in very exact details down to the color of the handle on the blade wielded by Luna; dark green.

After looking around the dark forest, Celestia brought up her small supply bag and retrieved her clock; 04:31, she had only slept for a mere 6 hours. Without much thought into the matter, Celestia pulled herself from her sleeping bag and began packing up her things; she could have gone back to sleep, but the extra few hours wouldn't have done much, and the looming fear of more nightmares was a reality that scared her away, as she had gone through the ordeal for the past weeks almost every time she attempted to sleep. With her blankets returned to their respective bag, the sleeping bag rolled and packed into its pouch, and everything tied back down to the backpack frame, Celestia continued on her frigid journey through the Black Forest.

"How much longer until we reach the house?"

"Take a look and see for yourself."

Star Yield, who was currently sitting in the cloth-covered back of a heavy-duty utility truck as it clunked along through the forest, leaned out of the open back and peered to the front of the truck to see that the house in question was only a rough fifty meters in front of the vehicle's path.

"Well, we made it faster than I thought we would." Star commented back to the Stallion sitting across from him.

This Stallion, who was currently dressed in thick winter clothing standard issue to the Royal Canterlot Guard, was the Commanding Officer of a nearby military base operated by the Royal Guard as a forward garrison to the border of the Gryphon Kingdom. He, as well as a large group of other soldiers and officers, had been indoctrinated into the New Order as they sat in a valuable seat; they gave easy access to transportation in order to set up the logistics required to maintain the home in which Celestia was being held in.

Going through the Forward Operating Base cut down transport times significantly, and made trips to the home more convenient for those who had to go through one. In example; Star Yield's trip had been only a tiny thorn in his side because of how little transportation he had to worry about in order to get to the home, but this trip had been fairly convenient anyway; his presence had been requested by three assigned to 'take care' of Celestia on grounds that an Aura restoration was in need, but it had occurred only two days before he planned on traveling to the home himself for a check up. The truck Star rode in jolted upward violently, the impact nearly slinging him from his seat as the vehicle came to a stop.

"We're here!" The driver, a fairly young soldier, called through a small sliding window in the front wall of the truck's cabin.

"You can shut off the engine, I might be a while!" Star yelled as he stepped from his seat and exited from the rear of the truck's cabin.

As Star passed along the left side of the truck the front of the home became visible, and something immediately caught his eye. The front door appeared to be cracked slightly. After a short pause to confirm what he saw wasn't a shadow causing the illusion of the door being open, he continued on through the deep snow towards the home.

Upon reaching the front steps of the rectangular porch, he pushed open the door with a hoof and stepped inside the eerily quiet home, a nervous pain coming to his stomach as his eyes browsed over the interior of the home. Star Yield took several more steps into the home after his eyes landed on the kitchen; every door had been ripped from it's hinges and a good percentage of the food was missing.

"Oh no... oh no no NO! White Dust!? Red Hoof!? Anyone?!" He shouted, sprinting from the kitchen and down the hallway towards the two bedrooms.

Each bedroom was completely barren of life, and several more seconds of looking revealed a striking lack of various items throughout the two rooms; it was clear someone had rummaged through each of the rooms and taken a plethora of things.

"She couldn't have escaped, she can't escape!" Star ranted as he quickly moved from the hallway to the basement door.

Upon entering the landing which lead to the basement steps, Star Yield was met with the gruesome sight of Red Hoof's body, dried, almost black, blood covering the wooden panels of the landing and most of his chest, a hole about an inch in diameter carved cleanly in the center of his chest where Celestia had shot him. Star recoiled backward at the sight, his hoof going to his mouth as he stumbled back from the doorway, hitting the wall at the adjacent end of the hallway.

He stared at the body for several long moments before finally regaining his composure, taking a few reluctant steps towards the doorway in order to pass the body and moved further into the basement. The sight of just what had happened in the basement unfolded after Star had made his way down the steps, the bodies of both White Dust and Shield Arc becoming more visible with each step down the creaky, wooden steps.

"She killed all three of them. She... she actually killed them."

With wide eyes and a hoof covering his mouth, Star Yield paced back and forth in the former war-zone that was the cell, his eyes fixed on the mutilated body of White Dust. He had thought about her escaping, picturing that one day he would get word from a messenger and arrive to find them bruised up or uninjured at all, but he had never once fathomed that Celestia would travel to such an extreme to kill the three stallions; with this thought, it was easy to see that most of her effort had gone into White Dust, as evident by the mutilation done to his facial features.

Star Yield couldn't help but feel guilty, but with this guilt came a horrible anger, the flames burning in his mind growing larger as he stared at the bodies, their bloodied images filling him with the sense that serious revenge was required. Celestia would be re-captured, and before her being transformed to Nightmare Moon, he would assure that her final moments would be nothing but pure pain.

Through his anger, Star had a thought; the bodies hadn't begun decomposing and the dried blood was dark, but not as dark as it would be if it were older, this meant that Celestia was close, and knowing that she was very seriously injured, Star figured that she hadn't made it too far.

Star Yield swiftly turned towards the stairs, sprinting up the short flight and past the body of Red Hoof as he made his way to the front door, his hoofs sliding a little distance as he came to a stop on the snowy deck of the home. His eyes landed on the snow lining the ground in front of the home, fairly large hoof prints still visible in the white, fluffy ice. She had gone in a perfectly straight line out the door; North.

"She escaped! She killed all three of them and escaped!" Star cried as he ran from the deck and towards the truck.

The driver opened the door to the cab and climbed out and the Officer riding in the rear hopped down to meet Star Yield as he trotted up.

"Wait, what!?" The Officer asked, a frightened look on his face.

"She escaped!! I don't know how, but she did! And... I saw the hoof steps, she went north!"

"Get back in the truck, we're going after her." The Officer spoke heavily, his face going from one of fear to one of slight anger.

"Wait! We can't just run after her, she left days ago... we need a plan and more hooves on the ground than just ourselves."

"Yeah, you're right."

The two stood silent, thinking of ways to approach their situation.

"We can't just have search teams without an explanation... so we need to make some sort of excuse." Explained the Officer.

After a moment's more thought, Star Yield's face lit up with joy as he had devised a (in his opinion) brilliantly flawless plan.

"I've got it! There's a Magic Research Center near the Capital, isn't there?" He inquired to the Officer.

"Yeah, the Волшебный развития и исследований Бюро (Magical Development and Research Bureau), it's in a smaller town to the east of the Capital, but what does it have to do with your plan?"

"We'll have one of your troops break into the facility and steal some sort of spell-working materials, doesn't matter what it is, it just matters that it's something that the people at the Center would want back!" Explained Star.

"And we say that the search parties are to find the thief!" The Officer added.

"Exactly!"

The Officer turned and began walking back towards the rear of the truck.

"We need to get back to base and get this into action, the more we wait around, the further Celestia gets from us." He said over his shoulder.

"Indeed. If we can get at least one helicopter to aid in the search, then the little lead Celestia has would basically vanish." Star spoke as he followed the Officer into the rear of the truck.

"Take us back to base, and make it quick!" The Officer shouted to the driver, who nodded in response as the engine of the truck started back up.

"There's only 10 days until the Solar Eclipse. If we can't recapture her by then, this will all be for nothing." Star Yield said.

"We'll have her back in three days maximum, especially if I can get helicopter support." The Officer assured.

"I sure hope so."

Star peered out the rear of the truck at the house, his thoughts turning back to the sights he had seen in the basement of the home.

"What about their bodies? Shall we come back for them?" He asked.

"I'll have their bodies retrieved once I have someone break into the Magic Development Bureau."

"Wait... why is that?"

"I can say that they were killed by the person that broke into the Development Bureau. That should add some urgency to things, won't it?"

Nº 17: Just My Luck

"So you managed to get yourself kicked out of the castle.. but, did you find anything out?" Spike inquired to Twilight, who was standing in the kitchen as she prepared herself something for lunch.

"I did, and at that, something very intriguing." She responded with a grin.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, to start, I found a photo of the wreckage that gives evidence something external, other than a snowstorm, caused the helicopter to crash, the timetables of when the first rescue teams..."

Suddenly, there was a quick rapping at the door of Twilight's Library home, the sound interrupting her explanation.

"I'll get it," Spike called as he stood from his seat and jogged to the door, reaching up to turn the handle and open the door.

Upon opening, the door revealed both Rarity and Fluttershy, their figures bulky with winter clothing.

"Oh, darling, it's good to see you're back from Canterlot. I assume your trip went well, hm?" Rarity inquired upon entering, Fluttershy following behind.

"Well, not exactly..." Twilight responded shyly, a nervous smile taking her expression.

"Oh no, what did you manage to do?"

"I... well... got myself kicked out, but it was for a good cause and my efforts were not in vain!" She added quickly.

Both Fluttershy and Rarity gasped lightly.

"How in the... wait, darling, what do you mean; it was a good cause and your efforts weren't in vain?" Rarity asked suspiciously, taking a step closer to Twilight and leaning her head inwards.

"Oh, boy. It's a pretty long story..."

"We've got all the time in the world, darling. Isn't that right, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy's ears perked up at hearing her name, as her thoughts had drifted from the conversation.

"W-wait... what?" She blundered.

"I said, we have all the time in the world, don't we, Fluttershy?"

"Oh... yeah, we do."

"Alright, you brought this upon yourself. Before I tell you anything, I need to know you will not tell a single person other than our friends, alright?"

"With a warning like that, I'm willing to bet your explanation will be interesting."

After a very long-winded explanation, Twilight had finally finished with her reasons behind her expulsion from Canterlot Castle.

"Well... it sounds like Princess Luna wasn't too happy about your theft of those papers." Rarity spoke.

"Yeah," Twilight chuckled, "I don't think she was having a very good day to start with. At least I figured something out."

"Yes, about that photo, and all of your evidence for that matter, what exactly do you hope to do with all of this?"

"I can't do anything now. At this time, I simply need more... which is why I'm glad you two stopped by." Twilight explained.

"W-wait... what do you mean?" Fluttershy responded.

"To truly be sure about my theory that the helicopter crashed because of somepony's input, and not a storm, I'm going to have to travel to the crash site itself and investigate. I was almost about to tell Spike that we'd have to buy train tickets and tell you two and the rest of the girls that I'd be gone for a while, but you came in before I could."

"Well, what kind of friends would we be if we didn't volunteer to go with, isn't that right, Fluttershy?" Rarity spoke, poking the yellow pegasus with a hoof.

"Oh, yeah! We'll go, too."

"You two are sure you'd want to go with? It's a long train ride and an even longer walk to where the site is."

"I feel we should visit this place anyhow. It is, after all... where it happen." Rarity lamented, her voice lowering as she reached the end of her statement.

"If you two want to go, I think it would only be fair if we told everyone else. I'm sure the rest of the girls would be upset if we ran off without asking."

"Oh, goodness, I guess you're right. Should I go with Fluttershy and tell the girls of our plan?" Rarity inquired.

"Actually, that would be perfect! While you do that, Spike and I can run down to the train station and buy the tickets!" Twilight responded in an excited tone.

"Well, it's a plan, then. Come, darling, we've got a mission." Rarity said to Fluttershy as she turned for the door.

Cloud Drop pushed open a frosted glass pane door, entering Canterlot Castle's War Room, the moment he entered the 20-odd officers and commanders stood from their positions and turned to face him.

"Commander on deck!" A Lieutenant beside the door shouted.

Simultaneously, the group of Stallions saluted.

"At ease. Captain Tide, tell me what's going on." Cloud spoke as he walked to the large, oval table at the center of the room, his eye shifting to the appearance of Nightmare Moon's.

Every Officer in the War Room was a member of the New Order, which not only allowed all other members to have an advanced picture of events, but allowed the New Order control over what happen and what word got out, something that would end up to be extremely pivotal in the success of the overall mission to be accomplished by the New Order.

"Well, Admiral, do you want to good news or the bad news first?"
Captain Tide, one of the many officers that reported directly to Cloud Drop, asked.

"Bad."

"Alright. Yesterday, Princess Celestia murdered our brothers Corporal Red Hoof, Specialist Shield Arc, and 1st Lieutenant White Dust. She escaped into the forest, and we're preparing airborne and ground-borne search teams to retrieve her. Star Yield and Lieutenant Colonel Gate, CO of our forward Garrison in Stalliongrad, have devised a cover story for our search, which I'll fill you in on in a moment." Captain Tide explained, his words causing Cloud Drop to rest his head on his hooves.

"She killed them? How bad was it?" Cloud inquired, his head still lowered.

"According to Star Yield, she wasn't clean about killing them. Corporal Red Hoof was shot through the heart, Specialist Shield Arc was shot in the leg, stabbed in the chest, and had his throat slashed, and... oh jeez," Tide paused, composing himself before he continued, "1st Lieutenant White Dust was stabbed through the spine, had his horn severed, leg shot, throat slashed, and around 10 stab wounds to his face. Star said he could barely recognize him."

Cloud let out a sigh, finally lifting his head from the table.

"I knew the Corporal and the Specialist... I'd been to Shield's house for dinner, one night. He had a wife and daughter."
He spoke.

There was a moment of silence before the Captain spoke again.

"Well, to fill you in on the story, we're actually searching for someone that broke into the Magical Research and Development Bureau in Stalliongrad and stole spell-working materials on a military level of power. As for the murder of our three brothers, they were killed in an attempt to stop the thief. As morbid as it sounds, their passing might work in our favor; it'll add some urgency to this search."

"So we're chasing an unknown suspect that has stolen highly powerful and dangerous spells, and probably used those same spells to murder three of our Guardsmen. Sound's good, but we can't just go around the entire Black Forest looking for Celestia; we need to come up with some sort of search plan." Cloud Drop said.

"Why do you think you're here?" Captain Tide spoke with a smile.

"Captain, get me a map of the Black Forest."

With a salute, Tide left from his position at the table and moved to a large storage case containing detailed maps of almost every area around Equestria, and after several moments of searching, he returned with a long, cylindrical case with a white label that read, 'Topographic - Black Forest, Stalliongrad' in typed letters. Upon opening the case, Cloud Drop fixed the map into a special holding tray built into the table which allowed the maps to be measured and marked upon, as one of the tray's components was a clear plastic plate that covered the entirety of the map's surface.

"Alright everyone, gather 'round, we've got a plan to devise," Cloud spoke loudly, his voice getting the attention of the Officers in the room.

With everyone in the room now surrounding the table and map, Cloud took a black marker from a wooden holding box, took the cap off, and drew a small circle around a specific spot on the map.

"We know that right here is the house Celestia was in, and according to Star Yield, she went due north from the home,"

In accordance to the map's legend, Cloud drew an arrow pointing directly north on top of the circle he had marked earlier,

"But, I know Celestia; and she won't be heading north for long. She's seriously injured and knows that the world is coming down on top of her, so my best guess is that she'd be heading towards the Capital so that she can get herself to a hospital and get in touch with President Mikhail, as he's the only friend she's got anywhere close. So, with that, we can narrow our search to this general area, but we need to consider the fact that she probably doesn't have a map and compass, so I think we should have this extra search avenue right up here,"

Once again, Cloud brought the marker to the map, adding a large circle that encompassed the circle he had previously drawn, the Capital City, and a small area in front of the home itself,

"Another thing we can narrow down is where she'll be moving. As most of you know, the Black Forest is not flat, and because Celestia is horribly injured, she will naturally take the path of least resistance. If we confine our searches to all of these low-lying valleys, fields, clearings and frozen lakes, we'll have a much easier time."

After his extremely long-winded speech, Cloud gave a sigh and browsed across the faces of the Officers fixed on his words.

"Any questions or suggestions?"

"Well... how will the search teams be broken up?" Asked an Officer to the left of Cloud Drop.

"I think teams of three and four would be best. She'll be unwilling to be re-captured, obviously, so larger teams equal more bodies she'll have to deal with."

"And team composition?" The same Officer asked.

"Three man teams will have two Unicorns and a Pegasus, four-stallion teams will have two Unicorns and two Pegasi. The Pegasus can search from the air while the Unicorns handle ground searching as well as actually taking down Celestia. Every Unicorn in the Guard knows the sleeper spell, and that's what they'll be using to stop Celestia; remember, we want her alive." Cloud concluded, silence following his words.

After a quick visual sweep of the crowd, Cloud's eyes landed on one of his Officers who appeared to be contemplating something.

"Major, you look like you have an idea."

"Ah... I, well... okay, so Celestia is the most powerful being strength-wise and magic-wise, right? Well... a lot of our Spec-Ops guys have magic detection spells, do you think we could use that to aid in the search? If she's injured, she'll probably be using her magic a lot, and because her signature is larger, she'd be easier to detect using the spell." The Major explained.

"Wonderful idea, Major. Have a single Spec-op join in with each of the search teams. Everyone else take note; search team composition will now be 4 to 5."

The Major responded with a firm salute, and the other Officers throughout the room gave their signs of acknowledgment.

"Alright, any more questions?"

"No, sir!" The crowd responded.

"Great. We've got a plan, now let's put it into action. I'll be back here in 20, I've got other things to tend to." The Admiral announced, his words causing his group of Officers to return to their stations.

Just before exiting the War Room, Cloud Drop paused and turned to Captain Tide.

"Captain, what was the good news?" He asked.

"We got a box of doughnuts." The Captain returned, his hoof raising to point to the mentioned box sitting atop a wooden table beside the door.

Cloud lifted the lid and scooped a chocolate-frosted doughnut from the container with a hoof.

"Good to hear."

Snow whipped through the air like a fine dust as Celestia slowly marched her way through a storm that had struck the forest, the horribly high winds and superfluous amounts of snowfall only adding to the already high level of difficulty of her journey. Luckily, the storm had decided to hit during the daytime, which meant it wasn't as cold as it could have been.

Even with her multiple layers of fairly thick clothing, the icy wind seemed to pierce right through to her core, Celestia's teeth chattering and body shaking more violently than it had ever before. She had thought (even if the thought was more of a self-administered moral boost than anything) that the storm could have a few advantages; the insane amount of snowfall would surely cover her tracks, which would; subsequently, allow her to cover more ground in a surreptitious manner and it would also make it basically impossible for any search parties to find her if one happen to be in close proximity.

She doubted that anyone was close by, though, as her trip was into its second day and she had not encountered a single pony from the 'New Order'. She had thought about it; true, it took a while for troops to be relocated from Canterlot to Stalliongrad's Capital and the cities near it, but Celestia knew that not far from the edge of the Black Forest sat a small base operated by the Royal Canterlot Guard, and Celestia knew the ones behind this whole 'New Order' business; they are cunning, smart people, ones that would have seen the base as a strategic point and used it as such.

Celestia's thoughts temporarily switched from the subject of the New Order to the blizzard and snow surrounding her. She had initially been impressed and proud of her workmanship with the crutch she had crafted herself, but a design flaw, or what an engineer would call an oversight, had started to show itself. When she had begun testing the crutch indoors, it worked just fine, and moving through the forest earlier in her trip it had worked fine, but the crutch's handling ability in the current, less forested area was proving to be less than what Celestia would have hoped for.

Combined with the less dense coverage of trees and blizzard, the current area had at least an entire foot of snow, meaning that every step took much more time and energy, seeing that the crutch had no weight distribution. The Blizzard's concealment of her position and hoofprints would have been an advantage if it were not almost negated by the fact her movement speed was horribly handicapped. Celestia did take a moment to realize that things could be much worse, for instance; if she had not taken the high-strength painkillers to keep her levels of pain in a manageable state, it was certain that she would have either dropped dead a while ago, or been in so much crippling pain from her wounds that moving more than a mile in a day would be completely impossible.

She was also extremely glad that the house had been equipped with so many things needed for her escape, in fact; the subject of these items was still a curiosity to Celestia. It made little sense for so many items used for camping or surviving without solid shelter for long periods of time were kept in a house equipped with all of the proper amenities.

After taking a step, Celestia felt a light 'clunk' beneath her hoof, a clunk not resulting from her stepping on something such as a rock. Celestia took a step back and began to sweep the heavy blanket of snow from the surface of whatever object she had set hoof upon, and after moments of digging, she began to see a wooden surface.

"What is this, a box of some kind?" She asked aloud.

With a little more of the snow removed, Celestia was able to pry the wooden object from its snowy home to find that she had come across a sled. With her magic, she held the sled in the air, examining its condition while pondering and what she might use it for; if it did have any purpose. A thought clicked into Celestia's mind; she could use the sled as a secondary means of transport for the equipment and food she carried on her pack.

The pack became surrounded by Celestia's yellow aurora, the many straps unclicking as it was lifted from her figure and brought to rest atop the sled. With the bag's straps used to secure it to the sled, Celestia now had another issue: how to drag the sled along. After some brain-storming, Celestia used a spell to sever the short rope loop attached to the sled and extended the rope ot it's full length, tying the loose end to the suspender straps of her bulky, canvas pants. With a weight lifted from her shoulders, she continued on through the blizzard.

The blizzard had taken its sweet time; a near 5 hours, to finally clear up. In that time span, Celestia had traveled what had seemed to be a fair distance; she was gauging this assumption by the fact the landscape had changed quite a bit. Instead of the fairly flat, lightly forested area she had traveled earlier, she now stumbled her way through a now hilly and heavily forested area.

The inclines and declines of the hills she had been encountering, along with the darkness brought on by the night, had combined to form a very difficult terrain to traverse, especially with Celestia's current condition. She was starting to become worried about her condition, as well; the morphine that had been allowing her to continue was being used faster than she had anticipated, as it was taking 2 full injectors of morphine a day to keep her moving, not one as she had figured.

This meant that her supply of 20 injectors would run out much quicker than she figured it would. She'd have to cut down on the number of morphine injectors she used per day in order to maintain an adequate supply, which meant things would start hurting a lot more. Previously, Celestia had administered herself morphine right as she woke, and then around halfway into the day, which so far had been sufficient in quelling her pain enough to allow her to continue with her journey. Next morning, she'd have to see how long she could move without needing the morphine; the more she can stretch her supply, the better.

Celestia's thoughts constantly wandered over to the subject of how horrible her health was as of current; it was certainly top of the list in terms of urgency. She constantly found herself wondering how long it would take her body to heal from the extensive wounds she had sustained, or whether her body would ever recover. She was certainly scared of the apparent damage done to her brain, and she wondered if it would have any effects on her ability to function in the future.

Her eyesight had taken a most likely permanent toll from both her brain injury and the physical damage sustained by her one eye, which still had not healed all the way. It was all scary; her situation, her health, the fact the only people that knew she still lived wanted to kill her, the idea that she could never make it out of the Black Forest alive. Even in Celestia's mind, her chances of actually making it to her goal seemed to be 0.

Suddenly, a light snap of a twig echoed into Celestia's ears, her body freezing as she turned swiftly to face the direction of the sound. Her eyes scanned the dark forest as she quickly produced her flashlight from the small bag around her neck, the light quickly being clicked on, a beam of light shining through the murky black. Her eyes locked onto two greenish, bright dots floating in the darkness; a pair of eyes.

The two dots swiftly disappeared, whatever creature they belonged to wished to not be spotted. In order to scare off whatever had been following her, Celestia shot a bolt of high-powered energy into the base of a tree that had been fairly close to the eye's last position, a thunderous crack echoing through the forest as the impact spot exploded into a field of splinters and bark.

Slowly, the tree began tipping to the side, eventually falling to the snowy floor with a crash. Celestia stood still for a moment, staring at the destroyed tree before turning to continue on walking. Whatever had been watching her would certainly have been scared away by such a blast. With her flashlight still hanging in her magic, Celestia did a sweep of the area, carefully scanning to ensure that nothing lay in front of her or to her sides. The scan produced no results, Celestia dropping the flashlight back into her bag and she continued walking.

The sun had set around 30 minutes ago, and normally Celestia was able to see a little bit after the sun set as the moon provided a sufficient amount of light, but tonight's sky was hung with a very dark cloud bank; possibly the same storm that had hit earlier. The use of a flashlight was required for her to make her way around in the forest without hitting trees or tripping over logs, but luckily she was currently moving through a densely packed part of the forest; meaning that the light from her flashlight wouldn't reach too far into the woods, which is a plus if one is trying to not be detected.

She had still not seen any signs of patrols, but that did not mean they were not out. She had become increasingly nervous and vigilant over the past days, every little sound making her jump to attention. The night was certainly her least favorite time. Trying to get herself to fall asleep was a task all in itself; Celestia would lie with her eyes fixed upon the forest, her ears fixed on every little sound from the wind rustling the pine needles to the occasional howl of Wolves roaming through the trees. That was her greatest fear in the darkness; the Wolf packs. There was something about their sound that sent a chill colder than any Stalliongradian night through her body when she heard that rhythmic chorus of howls.

Setting her thoughts aside, Celestia stopped and knelt down; it was time for dinner. With her supply sled now at her side, Celestia began getting the required items for her to have a meal, the only thing missing being wood for a fire. After a short search with her flashlight, Celestia's eyes landed on a few pieces of dead-fall lying a short distance from her position. The wood was promptly levitated from it's snowy home to Celestia.

The log was divided into segments and arranged into a tent formation in a clearing Celestia had built for the fire, several pieces of bark and random wood being placed beneath the tent-shaped log formation, and with everything set up, Celestia cast a spell to ignite the kindling she had organized.

With the fire burning nicely, Celestia had found a fairly flat rock to place near the fire in order to allow her can of beans to be cooked by the fire instead of using her stove; she would prefer to keep the stove's fuel for an emergency. While staring into the fire, Celestia heard a rustle of pine needles from behind her. She quickly equipped her flashlight and began to scan the area she had heard the noise come from. Her search revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but that did not mean that something wasn't lurking in the forest beyond.

She slowly turned back around, her heart beating out of her chest as she turned her attention back to the fire; something was certainly following her. Again her ears detected an odd noise, this time, it was not a rustling of foliage but the sound of something fairly large sprinting through the snow. Celestia turned just in time to see nothing more than a blur as it collided with her, the blur growling and roaring as it began its attack.

Celestia let out a scream as her front legs flailed in a futile attempt to remove the animal, the entire time its claws slashing and digging into her chest. She quickly cast a powerful spell that sent a concussion wave through the air surrounding her horn, the blast powerful enough to stun the animal and allow Celestia to frantically kick it off herself. The animal roared in anger as it sprinted off into the murky darkness beyond, leaving Celestia in a state of shock and horror as she tried to figure out exactly what happen.

Her vision blurry with tears and body shaking in horror, Celestia frantically moved herself closer to the fire as she began to survey her body for wounds that had been inflicted by what she was assuming to be a Mountain Lion. After patting around her chest, Celestia raised her hoof to see her boot and coat sleeve coated in a dark red liquid, the sight causing her to exclaim in fear as she examined her chest closer. There were several deep, very painful slashes along the length of her chest, the blood from each slash causing her coat to be soaked in fresh blood.

With heavy, fearful breaths Celestia began to remove her several layers of coats and jackets to access the wounds, each movement causing the wounds to hurt more and more with each passing second.

After having removed every coat and jacket, Celestia was finally able to see just how bad she had been injured by the Mountain Lion; six cuts, each around five inches in length, and with the amount of blood pouring from each cut it was nearly impossible to tell just how deep each one was. Still in a state of shock Celestia pulled her supply sled closer and found her medical supplies; if something wasn't done about the blood loss immediately Celestia feared it would mean her life.

After a moment's work, Celestia managed to get each wound bandaged and cleaned, the area surrounding her dotted with bloodied rags. She slowly laid herself on her back, her entire body still shaking in fear after the attack. Fresh tears found their way to her eyes once more, her chest heaving as the realization of what she had lived through struck like a bolt of lighting.

"My luck to get attacked by a Mountain Lion..."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 18: Dark Truths Come To Light

"How much more walking, Twilight? My legs hurt." Fluttershy asked as she, Twilight, and the rest of their friends trudged through the deep snow towards the crash site of Celestia's helicopter.

"Not much further. According to the map, we've only got about 20 minutes more walking. We can stop and take a break if you'd all like." Twilight responded.

"Yes, please!"
"That would be nice."
"Can we?"
The group complained.

"Alright then, we stop."

Twilight could understand why her 5 friends would be fairly exhausted; not only had they been walking for a whole hour, but for three days they had been on the move constantly. After boarding a train from Ponyville to Canterlot, then a train from Canterlot to Manehatten, and finally Manehatten to Fillydelphia where the group had stayed at a nice Inn overnight and then continued on first by cart and then by hoof to their current location.

It had been an arduous journey, but Twilight was sure that she would discover something be investigating the crash for herself. Twilight had noticed an odd thing about her attitude towards the whole situation; one of her best friends had been killed, yet she had barely felt any sorrow or shed many tears. She felt the reason was that, deep down, she did not feel Celestia was truly gone, it felt like she was still out there somewhere; the thing Twilight was trying to find out was if her feelings were denial or a true feeling to look for the truth behind the incident.

"I don't really know if I want to see the crash." Pinkie Pie spoke quietly, her attitude the polar opposite of her usual happy demeanor.

"It'll be good for you. A bit of closure is always something ponies seek after something like this happens." Rainbow Dash inserted, trying her best to reassure her friend.

Pinkie's response was a short 'hm'.

"Well, are we ready to move on?" Twilight asked.

"I guess."
"Yeah."
"Might as well."
"Mhm."

"Cool, let's keep moving, then!" Twilight exclaimed, anxious to finally reach the crash site.

An almost perfect 20 minutes later, the crash site finally came into view as the group exited from the nearby tree-line, the six pausing as a horrible feeling came to each of their hearts.

"So, this is where it happened," Twilight spoke softly.

"It looks much worse than I imagined," Fluttershy added.

A few moments of silence passed before the group finally continued on to the helicopter itself. Twilight had forgotten she had been the only one that had seen the photographs of the crash, the sights that would unfold for her friends would certainly be more shocking to them than to Twilight. Finally, the six came to the helicopter, Twilight looking over to see Pinkie Pie's eyes wet with tears as she gazed at the wreckage, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"You alright, Pinkie?" Rainbow Dash asked, noticing her friend's anguish as well.

"N-no..."

"This is probably the worst thing I've ever laid eyes on." Rarity spoke.

"I'm gonna agree with you on that one, sister," Applejack added.

Silence fell over the group as they looked upon the wreckage, a feeling of sorrow held in each of their hearts and minds. There was an indescribable sense of awe looking at the still, peaceful wreckage; a feeling of 'I am standing where an unforgettable calamity happened'.

"You really think it was shot down?" Pinkie asked softly, her eyes bloodshot from her previous tears.

"I do, and if I find what I saw in those pictures; I'll be right."

With that, Twilight stepped aside from the group and began towards the front of the wreckage, Pinkie Pie following.

"What were you looking for again?" She inquired.

"There was a puncture hole in the bottom of the nose, and in the pictures, it looked like the hole went all the way through the nose and through the roof." Explained Twilight as she searched for the mentioned puncture.

A loud clunk caused Twilight to look up and see that Rainbow Dash had made her way atop the wreckage and was attempting to climb into what was left of the cabin. The explosion caused by the helicopter's internal load of fuel had not been kind to the structure.

"Do you really want to see what the inside of that thing looks like?" Asked Twilight.

"I figured I could look for things from the inside."

"Alright, be careful. I'm sure there's a lot of broken glass and sharp metal inside there."

Rainbow Dash carefully dropped from the side of the aircraft down into what was left of the charred cabin, snow, and ice covering most of the things inside. The fabric of the seats was completely burnt away, and what parts of the cabin weren't caked with ice and snow were coated in a black soot. Looking past the seats and towards the rear of the helicopter Rainbow saw what appeared to be a suitcase; specifically Celestia's suitcase. It was a little singed, but it had fared better than the rest of the aircraft.

"Hey Twi, I found Celestia's suitcase! Think I should pull it out?"

"Leave it. I don't want to disturb anything here, and besides, I doubt we'll find anything useful inside of it." Twilight's voice echoed in.

Rainbow complied, ignoring the suitcase as she took a step to the front of the cabin. The elevated cockpit was in better condition than the cabin as well; every instrument on the control panel had survived, and the fabric of the seats hadn't been burnt. After a moment of looking around the cockpit, Rainbow's eyes fell upon a blood stain in the left seat, which lead to her discovering dried blood down the back of the seat, on the floor beneath the chair, and on the inside of the window to the left of where the pilot would have sat. She diverted her eyes away and began searching for anything else, a dreadful feeling coming to her emotions.

"I found it!" Twilight spoke loudly, moments later a light tap was audible from the nose.

"What did you find, exactly?" Rainbow responded.

"The hole! I was right, it goes cleanly through the entire engine! Look on the inside and see if you can find the hole!" An excited Twilight explained.

The search was resumed, Rainbow now looking for something specific. Her eyes browsed across everything in the cockpit as she tried to find this hole Twilight had been speaking of. Finally, she found what she had been looking for; in between two gauges on the instrument was a sizable, clean hole, and after a short search she was able to identify where the hole had continued on through the roof.

"I got it! You were right, Twilight; this helicopter was shot down, no doubt about it."

"Of course, I'm right!"

"Well... this is all fine and dandy, but what do you think it means, Twi?" Spoke Applejack, her voice audible to Rainbow Dash from inside the cabin.

"I don't know, honestly. It means one thing for sure; something larger is at play here, this was more than an accident."

"I honestly think we should tell her. Her not knowing is only doing us and her harm." Cloud Drop explained to Star Yield.

"So you tell me that she said that she had never wished for any harm to come to her Sister, and that she's utterly devastated that her Sister is gone, and you want me to tell her 'we faked your Sister's death and have been conspiring to return you to the throne and bring Nightmare Moon back into this world.'?"

"Yes. I've spoken with her in private, and she has said that she wishes to continue what she started a thousand years ago. I agree, she'll be upset when we tell her what we've done without her knowledge or approval, but once we tell her what we've accomplished, I'm sure we'll be able to convince her that this is, indeed, the right thing to do."

Star directed his gaze to the large wooden table of Canterlot Castle's War Room as he contemplated Cloud's words. The two had been discussing various things for almost a half hour; the conversation had begun with Star Yield wishing to be filled in on the plan for searching and recovering Princess Celestia, but over the course of this half hour the conversation evolved into separate issues, the current one involving Princess Luna.

"I suppose you're right. In hindsight, I think we as an organization had poor judgment to keep our actions a secret from our True Leader. Well... how do you suggest we approach Princess Luna with this?"

"Mew!"

Both Cloud's and Star's gazes were directed to the Cloud's white kitten, who was sitting upon a swiveling desk chair some distance away from the two.

"Ask him if he's got any ideas." Star spoke, motioning to the kitten.

Cloud gave a light chuckle.

"I doubt he'll be too helpful. Hard to convey an idea when all you can do is say 'meow'."

In response, the kitten meowed louder than before.

"Oh, great, you've made him angry. Oh, by the way, do you finally have a name for your companion?" Asked Star Yield.

"Yes, I do. His name is Doorbell."

Star Yield peered at Cloud blankly.

"Doorbell? Why would you name the cat Doorbell?"

"Because every time you touch him or address him he makes noise," Cloud explained.

"Don't mind me saying this, Admiral, but this whole situation is basically the sweetest thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah... I get that a lot. I honestly don't care all that much, I figured I would, but I suppose I was wrong about myself."

Star Yield cleared his throat briefly.

"Anyway, kitten aside, we should resume our discussion. I had asked how to approach Princess Luna with this whole thing."

"Oh. Right. Ah, well... I'd say directly. Don't dance around the point; I know from experience that her Majesty becomes irritable when someone doesn't just come out with what they'd like to say."

Star Yield nodded.

"Should we tell her about the torture, and tell her that Celestia was the one that killed our three Brothers?"

Cloud paused as he thought deeply.

"Yes. We tell her everything; without doing so, we'll never be able to make it further than this point with the plan of the New Order. It's ridiculous for our only hindrance to be the single person we're helping."

"Agreed."

With that, Cloud Drop and Star Yield made for the door of the War Room with their new goal in mind.

"Mew!"

The two paused and directed their attention to Doorbell.

"I guess we can't leave him in here." Cloud spoke, walking back into the War Room as he gently took Doorbell under his wing, and with his package in toe he continued on with Star Yield.

Upon arriving at the door to Princess Luna's personal quarters, Cloud Drop paused before one of the Guardsmen at the door and off-loaded his cargo.

"Watch this thing for a moment, please. We've got business to attend to, and I'd like to not have him in our company." Cloud informed the Guardsman.

"Oh... Yes, Sir!" The Guardsman saluted.

With that, Cloud Drop followed by Star Yield entered the Princess' quarters.

"Congratulations, your morning just became more interesting than mine." The Guardsman adjacent to the one who had received the kitten spoke.

~~~

"Mh, good morning, Admiral... and Star Yield. What brings you two by at such an hour?" Princess Luna spoke tiredly, it was clear that she had been getting ready for sleep as she had a sleeping mask resting around her neck by its straps.

"Well, Your Highness, the Admiral and I have some news for you." Star Yield answered, his eyes shifting from their normal appearance to the azure, slit pupil look that signified his possession of the Aura.

His action seemed to snap Luna from her tired state, her posture becoming straighter and her eyes widening as she looked into Star's eyes.

"You... you have it. There is no possible way for you to have it! Where did you get it, tell me!" Luna exclaimed in a panicked tone.

"Please, your highness, there is no need to be so worried, I assure you that myself, the Admiral, and the rest of our Brothers and Sisters only wish you well."

Princess Luna continued to stare with a mixture of bewilderment, fear, and shock, her mind trying to comprehend how the two before her, along with many others according to Star Yield, had acquired a spell she had last cast upon someone a full thousand years ago.

"There... there is no way for you to have it." She repeated, her head shaking side to side.

"As I said, you shouldn't be so concerned with this. I do feel bad that we kept the existence of the New Order from your knowledge for so long, but the Admiral finally convinced me to tell you about this whole thing. I know, it's shocking, and very sudden, but from this point on we'll be able to accomplish the goals you have held for the past thousand years, your Majesty."

The Princess continued to stand with a look of bewilderment as she tried to piece things together in her mind.

"You and this New Order killed my sister, didn't you?" Luna asked darkly, taking a step closer to Star Yield.

"Actually, Princess Celestia is still alive, your Highness. I am truly sorry for how much grief we put you through." Cloud Drop spoke, bringing both Luna's and Star Yield's attention to him.

"Tell me that you do not lie, Admiral!" Princess Luna exclaimed, taking Cloud Drop by his shoulders with her hooves.

"I'm not lying. She lived through the helicopter crash, we captured her and held her in a small house deep in the Black Forest of Stalliongrad, and faked her death." Cloud spoke calmly, his words bringing a smile and tears to Luna's face.

"S-she's alive! I... I cannot believe it! My sister isn't dead!!" Cried Luna, her words and breaths shuddering from her tears.

"I told you she'd be happy." Cloud said to Star with a smile.

"I am far from happy with you two. I-I am extremely close to punching you both... b-but I... Celestia is alive, I don't... I don't believe it!"

No response was offered from either Cloud nor Star.

"But... I don't understand. W-why fake her death and put me through so much pain in order to help me?" Luna asked, her tears slowed but not gone completely.

"Our plan was to capture Celestia and hold her until the Lunar Eclipse, weaken her mental and physical state in the time between capturing her and the Eclipse enough to allow Nightmare Moon to manifest herself into Celestia's body... but she escaped a few days ago, that would be this whole thing of Stalliongradian and Equestrian Troops searching for someone that broke into a Magic Research Facility. That story is merely a cover-up."

"You want to release Nightmare Moon upon this land once more? Have you not seen what eternal night does to the land and those who occupy it?"

"Of course, we are bringing Nightmare Moon back into a physical form. That is what she wishes; you shall rule Equestria with Nightmare Moon at your side, and the glory of the Night shall reign upon Equestria as it should! The reason you are so opposed to the idea is because Celestia along with her group of 'friends' poisoned your mind by tearing Nightmare Moon from your conscious and filling your head with the idea that you do not deserve to be the sole ruler of these lands!" Star Yield explained with conviction, his tone changing from his previous calm demeanor.

"My sister did not 'poison my mind'! She has loved me since the dawn of our existence, and I assure you that Nightmare Moon's return would benefit no one! Trying to replace Celestia's mind with Nightmare Moon's so that she may use her body as a vessel is a ridiculous idea, one that would require weakening someone's health to levels... close to death," Luna paused as she had a sort of epiphany, a truth revealing itself to her as she spoke, "You have been hurting her, haven't you?" Luna asked, her face contorting with anger.

"That was something Star Yield didn't mention to you as I assume he feared your response. Celestia was being tortured, we don't exactly know how horribly they injured her, but I do know that it was bad enough for Celestia to kill the three Stallions we had stationed at the house to make sure that she didn't escape and make sure she was beaten on a daily basis." Cloud spoke from the sidelines, his words bringing fresh tears of pure anger to Princess Luna's eyes.

"You had my sister tortured!? What in the name of Equestria is wrong with you!!?" She barked at Star Yield, rage flaming in her voice.

"Princess, I do not understand how you can be angry after all of the pain she caused you over all of these years. Your thousand year banishment, the prosecution of your friends and followers all those years ago, and how she completely erased your existence from the knowledge of the people. Cloud Drop informed me that in a private talk you said that you wished to return the favor to Celestia, so why has your mind changed so much?"

"Because she is alive!! When I said those things to the Admiral I was still under the knowledge that she only pony who has ever truly loved me and cared for me was dead! Now, you stand here telling me that I should kill her in order for Nightmare Moon to be reborn? There is the fatal flaw in your ridiculous plan, Star Yield; I do not want any of my old plans to go into effect, I do not want to rule over Equestria with Nightmare Moon at my side; I-I want Celestia to rule Equestria so that I may be the one at her side... just as things used to be!!"
Princess Luna howled in response, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as she finished her statement; the emotions she had been repressing coming to the surface.

"This isn't about what you want, Princess, this is about what is good for the New Order and Nightmare Moon. She doesn't care if you don't want things to change for the better. This is larger than what you want, and if you wish to stand in the way of the goals our Brothers and Sisters have worked too hard to accomplish, that is your mistake to make." Star Yield finished angrily as he turned for the door to Princess Luna's personal quarters.

"Admiral, come with me."
Star spoke once more as he paused at the exit.

"You've done something you'll regret, Star. Making her into an enemy would have been my last choice." Cloud explained, his words causing Luna to look up from the floor, her cheeks still moist with tears.

"It was her choice, not mine. I will not have the will of Nightmare Moon impeded, no matter how 'important' they may be." Star Yield snarled in response, his gaze moving from Cloud Drop to Princess Luna as he spoke.

"You may leave my quarters, sir; you have made your point clear." Luna half-whimpered.

With those words, Star Yield complied as he exited the room.

After a moment Luna's gaze moved to the Admiral, who had not moved since he had arrived.

"Your Majesty... I don't know where this whole idea of leaving you behind came from. This wasn't supposed to happen." He spoke, making a relatively futile attempt at making things better.

"I... I don't know what to think. W-what do I do?" Princess Luna spoke quietly.

"You get Celestia before he can."

Luna was taken aback by Cloud's comment.

"B-but, you have the Aura... why wou..."

"Because, your Highness, when I was indoctrinated into the New Order, the goal given to me was to help you rise to power, Nightmare Moon has been a second objective to me from the start. If getting Celestia back will make things the way you want them to be, I'm inclined to help."

The look upon Luna's face went from a disheartened frown to a most determined scowl.

"Then get Celestia back, we will."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 19: 29 Days

If there was one advantage to Celestia's entire situation, it would be that her legs would be much stronger once she got herself to a hospital and began to heal; walking a near fifteen miles a day was certainly a good workout. Though, as with most things, she was able to find something at the opposite end of the spectrum; her walking might strengthen what muscle wasn't damaged, but the muscle that was damaged would not benefit from such strenuous activity.

The daily morphine doses had kept her pain to manageable levels to a point where she often forgot just how damaged her body was; and for that matter, she did often think it amazing how she was able to keep going after all that had happened. She felt proud when she thought that any other pony in her position would most certainly have died by this point; if not much sooner. Her words 'if you were in my position, you'd be dead' held a large grain of truth when she had spoken them to the White Stallion.

There was a second matter she had been able to worry herself about while she traveled; the three she had killed. It haunted her horribly, and that is to be said with under exaggeration; if the nightmares plaguing her mind did not deal with her being tortured by her own Sister, they had something to do with that few minutes in which she had taken the lives of the three holding her captive.

The guilt and sorrow of her actions had built to such a point where she had hallucinated the White Stallion and his companions, sometimes she would see them from the corner of her eye during the night; only to look over and see nothing but snow and forest. Others, she had heard their voices, Red Hoof and White Dust mainly, their disembodied voices murmuring threats as well as things they had spoken to her when they had been alive. It was a cause of much distress for Celestia; she could not escape from her crippling fear, guilt, and sorrow in the physical world or the world of sleep.

Celestia paused as she noticed she was nearing some kind of a clearing; though, the clearing didn't seem very wide. Upon coming to the assumed clearing, she discovered a small road running perpendicular to the direction she had been heading. She stood beside the road for a moment, looking from side to side as she pondered what direction she should follow, that is; if she did decide to follow the road. The road wasn't very wide, so whatever it lead to was most likely a small village or another kind of establishment. It would be very beneficial if she could make it to a village or town of some sort so that she may rest in some place that wasn't the underneath of a pine tree.

The hope of finding a town had made up her mind as to whether she should follow the road or not, but she still had no clue as to which direction she should travel. After some thought, she took her flashlight from the bag around her neck and held it with her magic; her plan was to toss the light into the air, and whichever direction the light end of the flashlight pointed towards upon landing would be the direction she would travel.

The flashlight was tossed, and after landing with a small puff of snow she retrieved the object to find it had landed pointing due south. With a groan of annoyance, Celestia threw the light into the air once more, this time, it landed facing to the left of the road; East.

After a near two hours of walking, what appeared to be some kind of structure had become visible through the trees; Celestia began walking faster as she approached the structure. Sure enough, more and more buildings became visible as the trees became less and less dense; she had found a town of some kind.

She came out of the treeline in between two homes; the two structures being separated by a short wood fence, it's components covered in snow and ice-sickles. Celestia carefully levitated her sled up from the ground as she effortlessly stepped over the relatively short fence, once on the other side she lay her sled back to the ground.

After a moment of looking around at the several houses visible to her, she came upon a problem; how was she supposed to enter one of the homes? Was she to knock, or just open the door and walk inside? Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia saw the face of a Brown Mare peering through one of the windows of the home to her left at her, the Mare's eyes wide with surprise.

Celestia turned and took a step towards the home, waving with a hoof as she gave a nervous smile. The Brown Mare waved back, her facial expression not changing in the slightest. Celestia motioned with a hoof for the Mare to open the door, and after a second of staring, the Mare moved from the window and opened the door, her head poking out to observe the Alicorn.

"приветствие."
(Hello.) Celestia spoke, using Prussian as she knew that she was still in Stalliongrad.

"кто ты?"
(Who are you?) Asked the Mare, her face still holding an expression of shock.

"Меня зовут Селестия . Вы не возражаете, если я приду внутри?"
(My name is Celestia. Do you mind if I come inside?)

The Brown Mare's eyes widened further.

"Вы Принцесса Селестия ? Но ... Я слышал, что вы были мертвы ! Как ты здесь ?"
(You are Princess Celestia? But... we were told you were dead! How are you here?) She inquired, stepping further into the doorway.

"Почему я стою здесь и в самом деле , не умер займет много объяснять . Как я спросил , вы не возражаете , если я приду внутри? Я был в лесу в течение 5 дней теперь, и я очень холодно ."
(Why I am standing here and, in fact, not dead will take a lot of explaining. As I asked, do you mind if I come inside? I've been out in the forest for 5 days now, and I'm very cold.)

"Да, да, пожалуйста, вы можете войти внутрь ."
(Yes, yes, please, you can come inside.)

With that, Celestia clumsily moved through the doorway, ducking her head to avoid her horn striking anything as she shuffled inside, her large backpack bumping into the walls.

"Я не знаю, что вы были так высоки , и я не знаю, вы говорили прусский,"
(I did not know you were so tall, and I did not know you spoke Prussian,) Said the Mare, looking up at Celestia as she stepped inside.

"Я говорю двенадцать языками , но мой был прусский получение Мёсе пребывание в последнее время."
(I speak twenty languages fluently, but my Prussian has been getting the most exercise as of late.)

The room Celestia entered was the kitchen of the home; it was of moderate size and was well equipped. The decor of the kitchen was standard for a Stalliongradian home, as well as the style of the cookware displayed in various places.

"Вы костыль, получил травму ваша нога?"
(You have a crutch, is your leg injured?) The Mare asked as she leaned her head to the side to allow her to view the mentioned item better, as Celestia's left leg was concealing it slightly.

"Моя нога сломана . Это чудо я все еще могу ходить с тем, что случилось со мной за последние время ."
(My leg is broken; yes. It's a miracle I can still walk with what has happen to me over the past while.) Explained Celestia, lifting her right leg from the ground.

"Пожалуйста , Селестия , приходят сюда и место , поэтому я могу смотреть на него . Я думаю, что это было бы невежливо со мной, если я заставил вас стоял гораздо дольше."
(Please, Celestia, come here and have a seat so I can look at it. I think it would be rude of me if I kept you standing there much longer.)

Celestia complied, following the mare from the kitchen into the living room of the home where the mare stopped beside a large couch. The large backpack strapped to Celestia's figure became surrounded in her magical aurora as it's many fasteners came undone, the bag floating free from her figure and finding its place beside the couch.

"Моя нога не единственное больно. Я надеюсь, у вас есть много бинтов на копыта , потому что я был бы весьма признателен , если я мог бы мои раны вновь одет ."
(My leg is not the only thing hurt. I do hope you have a lot of bandages on hoof, because I would greatly appreciate it if I could have my wounds re-dressed.) She explained, setting her crutch aside as her magic began assisting in removing her coat; the process making her wince occasionally in pain as she tried her best to gently remove her clothing.

"Что в имени Эквестрии произойдет с вашей груди ? Почему вы так сильно пострадал , Селестия?"
(What in the name of Equestria happen to your chest? Why are you so badly hurt, Celestia?) Asked the mare with a concerned tone as she stepped closer to Celestia.

She gave a light chuckle, shaking her head.

"Это ужасно длинная история. Как вы думаете, вы могли бы получить эти бинты сейчас?"
(It is a horribly long story. Do you think you could get those bandages now?) Celestia spoke.

"О, да, да , я пойду их сейчас ."
(Oh, yes, yes, I'll go get them now.)

With that, the Brown mare turned from Celestia and through a doorway that lay a distance from the couch. Celestia paused, looking around the room. She was impressed with how well-kept the home was, the decorations of the room were all arranged nicely and kept clean, the furniture sharing this trait. The home also appeared to be 2 stories, as behind her lay a staircase. Celestia's ears perked up as she heard hoof steps through the ceiling, someone upstairs was making their way to the staircase.

"Valinka , я слышал, что вы говорите с кем-то , у нас есть гостя ?"
(Valinka, I heard you talking with someone, do we have a guest?) Called a Stallion's voice, Celestia assumed that this male was the Brown Mare's companion, and assumed that the name Valinka was the name of the Brown Mare.

Moments later, a dark gray Stallion came down the stairs about half way before pausing as his eyes met with Celestia's, who had turned to see him as he came down the stairs.

"Извините вторгаться ."
(Sorry to intrude.) Celestia said with a smile.

The gray Stallion did not speak for a moment, his mouth agape and eyes wide.

"P-Princess Celestia?" He asked, his expression still one of pure confusion and shock.

"Да, это мое имя. Я знаю, что у вас есть много вопросов."
(Yes, that is my name. I know you have many questions.)

"Нам сказали, что вы были убиты в результате крушения вертолета ... как ты даже здесь?"
(We were told you had been killed in a helicopter crash... how are you even here?) The Stallion inquired as he came all the way down the stairs, stopping at the base.

"О, я жив. Не прошло. Я объясню, как и почему я в вашем доме позже ... прямо сейчас мне нужно отдохнуть."
(Oh, I am alive. Barely. I shall explain how and why I am in your house later... for right now I need to rest.) Groaned Celestia as she finished taking off the last article of her clothing, though her scarf and hat remained.

"Вы говорите прусский?"
(You speak Prussian?)

"да."
(Yes.) She answered simply.

The Brown Mare appeared in the doorway across from the couch, a grouping of supplies being held to her chest by her hoof.

"Я вижу, вы познакомились с нашим гостем."
(I see you've met our guest.) She spoke, carefully putting the items she held on the couch beside Celestia, who had finally removed most of her heavy clothing, the only things remaining were her hat and scarf.

Without her clothing, both Pavel and Valinka were able to see the extent of Celestia's injuries; her body, face, and head covered with bloodied bandages from where she had mended the injuries the White Stallion had inflicted, as well as the large bandage covering the slashes on her chest from the encounter with the Mountain Lion. The two stood, their eyes wide with shock at the state of her health.

"Кто сделал это с тобой ?"
(Who did this to you?) Asked Pavel.

"Вы хотите, чтобы длинная версия или короткую версию ?"
(Do you want the long version or the short version?)

"Павел , пожалуйста, мы сохранить вопросы на потом. Я уверен, что Селестия предпочли бы отдыхать , а не ответить на наши вопросы . Ты говоришь, что был в Шварцвальде в течение 5 дней , правильно?"
(Pavel, please, we will save the questions for later. I'm sure Celestia would prefer to rest rather than answer our questions. You did say you had been in the Black Forest for 5 days, correct?) Valinka spoke while she began to remove the bandage from the gashes left on Celestia's chest.

"пять или шесть ... да. Я не держал, что много дорожки. Я должен спросить, когда вы узнали о моей смерти?"
(five or six... yes. I haven't been keeping that much track. I must ask, when did you learn of my death?)

"Я не могу точно вспомнить день посланник прибыл, но я помню дату, когда вы якобы умер; 16 декабря."
(I can't remember exactly the day the messenger arrived, but I remember the date you supposedly died; December 16th.) Valinka spoke as she worked at Celestia's many lacerations and puncture-wounds.

"А сегодня ...?"
(And today is...?)

"14 января."
(January 14th.)

Celestia let out a surprised scoff, leaning her head back.

"Я пошел в течение 29 дней."
(I've been gone for 29 days...)
She exclaimed.

The talk went quiet as Celestia let Valinka work. She was impressed with how efficiently the mare worked and cleaning and re-bandaging the far too numerous to count injuries that had been afflicted upon Celestia's body. Valinka groaned as she began to unwrap the bandage that covered the three slashes across Celestia's chest. Pavel coughed as he turned away, his action drawing Celestia's attention.

"Разве плохо, что они не являются худшими порезы?"
(Is it bad that they aren't the worst cuts?) She asked calmly.

"Да да это. Как в мире это произошло?"
(Yes... yes it is. How in the world did this happen?) Valinka inquired as she dabbed one of the six cuts with a cotton ball, the action causing Celestia to wince.

"Горный лев напал на меня одну ночь."
(A mountain lion attacked me one night.)

"Горный лев?"
"Горный лев?"
(A mountain lion?) Pavel and Valinka asked at the exact same time, their faces having almost identical looks of shock, their synchronization causing Celestia to chuckle.

"Вы двое очень похожи. И да ... это был лев."
(You two are very alike. And yes... it was a lion.)

Finally, Valinka finished with re-dressing the six wounds across Celestia's chest, and began to move on to the injury on her mangled left leg. Celestia winced as her self-appointed medic started to undo the large bandage that encompassed most of her leg, the limb feeling very flimsy and soft as caused by both the broken bone and the severe muscle damage.

"Я пытаюсь быть нежным , извините."
(I'm trying to be gentle, sorry.)

"Ты в порядке. Это сокращение является худшим ."
(You're fine. That cut is the worst one.) She groaned in response.

With the bandage removed, Valinka understood fully what Celestia meant. She thought that the six cuts on her chest looked bad, but the depth and length of her leg injury far surpassed that of the six cuts. The sight of such extensive injury caused all in the room save Celestia to wince and turn away for a moment.

"Я знаю, я сказал, что мы не задавать вопросы, но , как это случилось ?"
(I know I said that we wouldn't ask questions, but how did that happen?) Inquired Valinka, a look of repulsion on her face as she observed the horrible gash.

"Он взял кусок разбитой тарелки и использовать его как нож , чтобы нарезать открыта моя нога ."
(He took a piece of broken plate and used it like a knife to slice my leg open.) Celestia responded with an unhappy tone, her expression showing that she wasn't fond of having to recollect that particular moment.

"Он? Я предполагаю, что пони это сделал с тобой ?"
(He? I assume the pony that did this to you?)

The response from Celestia was a simple nod.

"Тот, кто это сделал с тобой не заслуживают того, чтобы быть живым . Как гнилой пони вы должны быть столько вреда кому-то ?"
(Whoever did this to you doesn't deserve to be alive. How rotten of a pony would you have to be to inflict such pain to somepony?) Spoke Pavel from the sidelines in an angered tone.

"Я убил всех троих пони держит меня ... но они не заслуживают того, чтобы умереть. Моя сестра, принцесса Луна; это один виноват здесь. Она организует всю эту вещь, так как ее возвращения из того, что сказал мне ... Star Урожайность"
(I killed all three of the ponies holding me... but they didn't deserve to die. My sister, Princess Luna; is the one to blame here. She's been organizing this whole thing since her return from what Star Yield told me...) Whimpered Celestia with a solem tone.

"Принцесса Луна делает это !? Зачем?"
(Princess Luna is doing this!? Why?) Pavel Exclaimed.

"Это ... это очень длинная история. Я рад, что она не присутствует, когда белая пыль случайно разблокируется мою магию ... если бы она была, я уверен, что я бы закончил свою жизнь ... а-а, если я имел, я не думаю, что я позволил бы себе жить."
(It... it is a very long story. I am happy she wasn't present when White Dust accidentally re-enabled my magic... if she had been, I am sure that I would have ended her life... a-and if I had I don't think I would have let myself live.)

Pavel held his silence, Celestia's words filling he and Valinka with sadness. After completely re-dressing Celestia's leg Valinka looked to the bandage wrapped around her head, concern welling in her thoughts as she saw that the bloodied part of the bandage was on the back of Celestia's head.

"Что именно эта рана?"
(What exactly is this wound?) Valinka asked as she unwrapped the bandage.

"Отверстие в моей голове. Я не знаю, насколько велика или мала она есть, но я знаю, что даже со всеми морфин во мне все еще пульсирует совсем немного." (A hole in my head. I don't know how large or small it is, but I know that even with all of the morphine in me it still throbs quite a bit.)

Just as Celestia finished her words Valinka had completely removed the bandage to see a bald spot in Celestia's hair, her skin an irritated red around the inch-long line of stitches.

"Там должно быть очень интересная причина этого ..."
(There must be a very interesting reason behind this one...) Mumbled Valinka as she continued to stare at the wound.

"Если я помню все правильно; что жеребец ударился головой об пол так сильно, что у меня был приступ, через некоторое время у меня был еще один приступ. После этого врач сказал, что у меня было кровоизлияние в мозг, так что ему пришлось просверлить отверстие в задней части головы и слить кровь, так что я не умру."
(If I can remember everything properly; that Stallion had hit my head on the floor so hard that I had a seizure, a while later I had another seizure. After that the doctor said that I was having a brain hemorrhage, so he had to drill a hole in the back of my head and drain the blood so I wouldn't die.) Explained Celestia in an eerily calm way, Valinka and Pavel speechless at hearing the explaination.

"Вы самый сильный пони я когда-либо встречал. Я не знаю, как вы никогда не сдавался через все, что случилось с вами."
(You are the strongest pony I have ever met. I do not know how you never gave up through all of what happened to you.)
Commented Valinka as she began cleaning any dried blood away from the area around the stitches.

"Это неправда; Я сдался. После того как я эти судороги, я был полностью слепым, потому что ... ну, еще раз; пытаясь вспомнить вещи правильно, врач сказал, что жеребец кровоподтеки на видение часть моего мозга, так что в течение долгого времени я не мог ничего видеть. Я ... Я помню, как просыпался на диване наверх и найти свой путь в ванную, чтобы бросить ... и я помню, что жеребец проснулся и пришел, чтобы увидеть, что я делаю. Он принес мне одеяло ... а-а я спросил его за один последний пользу; для него, чтобы ч-ударил меня между глаз, как м-много раз, как он мог так что я бы ... так что я умру."
(That is not true; I did give up. After I had those seizures, I was completely blind because... well, once more; trying to remember things properly, the doctor said that Stallion had bruised the vision part of my brain, so for a long time I couldn't see anything. I... I remember waking up on the couch upstairs and finding my way to the bathroom to throw up... and I remember that the Stallion had woken up and come to see what I was doing. He brought me a blanket... a-and I asked him for one last favor; for him to h-hit me between the eyes as m-many times as he could so that I would... so that I would die.)

With her long, choked up response finished a few tears rolled from Celestia's cheeks as she cried simply at the recollection of previous events.

"Вы были в состоянии сделать это далеко. Не обесценить себя на этом."
(You've been able to make it this far. Don't discount yourself on that.) Valinka spoke in an attempt to reassure Celestia.

"Я ... Я никогда по-настоящему хотел умереть! Это было ужасно, Valinka! Y-вы не имеете ни малейшего представления о том, как страшно все было!"
(I...I have never truly wanted to die! It was terrifying, Valinka! Y-you have no idea how scary everything was!) Sobbed Celestia in return, chest heaving.

Her broken cries cut the air of the home, head held in her hooves as she shielded her view from the two. Celestia felt an embrace, her hooves coming away from her face to find Valinka had taken her in a hug, her head nuzzled against Celestia's neck. The sudden act caught the Alicorn completely off-guard, her tears almost instantly slowing as she began returning in the embrace, her left leg coming up and over Valinak's shoulder.

"Вы все еще живы; это то, что имеет значение."
(You are still alive; that is what matters.) Softly consoled Valinka, tightening her embrace on the oversized Alicorn.

Celestia's response was nothing but silence, her head turning to look at Pavel. What he was met with was a pure look of confusion and sorrow.

"Y-вы правы ... Valinka. Я все еще жив."
(Y-you're right... Valinka. I am still alive.)

"Вы сделали это настолько далеко, Селестия. Не позволяйте себе вниз из-за небольшой момент в прошлом."
(You've made it this far, Celestia. Don't let yourself get down because of a little moment in the past.) The mare spoke cooingly, finally letting Celestia go.

"T-спасибо ... Я думаю, что мне нужно это."
(T-thank you... I think I needed that.)

"С чем ты говорил себе, и Павел, я думаю, что вам нужно намного больше, чем просто объятие."
(With what you've told myself and Pavel, I think you need a lot more than just a hug.)

"В самом деле; больница."
(Indeed; a hospital.) Joked Celestia with a short chuckle, sniffling as she dried tears from her cheeks on her shoulder.

"Существует небольшая клиника здесь, в городе. Завтра Павел и возьму вас туда, чтобы вы могли начать восстанавливаться от всего этого."
(There is a small clinic here in town. Tomorrow Pavel and I will take you there so that you can begin to recover from all of this.) Explained Valinka.

"Нет! Нет ... ты не можешь взять меня туда. Я до сих пор охотятся те, кто сделал это для меня, и я боюсь, если я делаю мое присутствие слишком известно, что они найдут меня."
(No! No... you cannot take me there. I am still being hunted by those who did this to me, and I fear if I make my presence too known they will find me.)

"Но, Селестия; вам нужно, чтобы получить какое-то место с соответствующим оборудованием, чтобы помочь вам! У меня нет ничего, кроме бинтов и швов."
(But, Celestia; you need to get to some place with the proper equipment to help you! I have nothing but bandages and stitches.)

"На данный момент, это все, что мне нужно. Я буду делать то, что восстановление я могу в этом доме с вами два, то после того, что я буду беспокоиться о больнице. Медицинское обслуживание это единственное, что я должен беспокоиться о том, во всяком случае. Я до сих пор, чтобы попытаться исправить беспорядок, который опустил бы меня здесь."
(For now, that is all I need. I'll do what recovering I can in this home with you two; then after that I will worry about a hospital. Medical care isn't the only thing I must worry about, anyway. I still have to try and fix the mess that put me here.)

"Это ваше решение ... так я понимаю."
(It's your decision... so I understand.) Sighed Valinka.

"Я ценю, что вы пытаетесь помочь таким образом, но я не думаю, что это окупится в долгосрочной перспективе."
(I appreciate you trying to help in such a way, but I do not think it would pay off in the long run.)

Valinka simply nodded as the took her attention back to continuing to bandage the wound upon Celestia's head.

"Павел , вы можете получить, что аптечку мы держим в шкафу ?"
(Pavel, can you get that first aid kit we keep in the closet?) Asked Valinka after seeing that she was running low on bandage wraps.

Pavel complied, exiting from the living room through the same doorway Valinka had gone through to get the medical supplies she currently had on hoof.

"Разве Павел ваш муж ?"
(Is Pavel your husband?) Celestia asked, looking over to Valinka after watching Pavel exit.

"Да это он. Мы были женаты в течение 3 лет."
(Yes, he is. We've been married for 3 years now.)

"Спасибо вам большое за помощь мне , вы не понимаете, что я был через в прошлом месяце , и имея кого-то будет приятно мне , конечно, долгожданное изменение ."
(Thank you so much for helping me, you don't realize what I've been through in the past month, and having someone be nice to me is certainly a welcome change.) Celestia spoke with a grateful tone.

"Это не беда, я вас уверяю. Если вам нужно что-то большее , не стесняйтесь спрашивать."
(It is no trouble, I assure you. If you need anything more, don't hesitate to ask.)

Valinka's and Celestia's attention was temporarily directed to the opposite end of the room as Pavel exited from the doorway, the first aid kit Valinka had requested held with his hoof.

"Селестия , вы хотите принять ванну ? Там так много засохшей крови покрытия вашего мех."
(Celestia, do you want to take a bath? There's so much dried blood covering your fur.) Suggested Valinka.

"Вы уверены, что у вас есть ванна достаточно большой ?"
(Are you sure that you have a bathtub large enough?)

"Ну, наверху ванная комната имеет приятный ванна , и если вы были , чтобы сидеть в ней я думаю, что вы бы удобно помещается . Я не хочу быть грубым , но вы должны купаться , а не только из-за засохшей крови ."
(Well, the upstairs bathroom has a nice bathtub, and if you were to sit in it I think you'd fit comfortably. I don't mean to be rude, but you do need to bathe, and not just because of the dried blood.) Valinka commented with a smile.

Celestia sat herself up as she levitated her crutch up to meet her left leg, and after some struggling, she began to stand herself up from the couch.

"Давайте Павел , и я помогаю , я не хочу, чтобы ты вредит себе."
(Let Pavel and I help, I don't want you hurting yourself.)

"Я в порядке ... Я в порядке, я получил себя здесь, я могу встать. Я думаю, что нужна помощь на лестнице ... "
(I'm fine... I'm fine, I got myself here, I can stand up. I think I will need help on the stairs...) Celestia responded, now fully upright.

"Как вы можете ходить со своими травмами ? Вы должны быть жестким пони я когда-либо встречал."
(How are you able to walk with your injuries? You have to be the toughest pony I've ever met.) Pavel inquired as he, Celestia, and Valinka walked around the couch towards the stairs.

"Морфий. Это единственное, что держит меня от коллапса , поскольку он занимает часть боли прочь."
(Morphine. It's the only thing keeping me from collapsing because it takes some of the hurt away.)

Upon making it to the base of the staircase, Celestia let out a sigh.

"Я нужна помощь эти лестнице , вы думаете, вы могли бы стоять слева от меня и принять некоторые весом от моих передних ног ?"
(I'll need some help up these stairs, do you think you could stand to my left and take some of the weight from my front legs?) Celestia asked, addressing Pavel.

He complied, moving to the left side of Celestia, who handed her crutch off to Valinka so that she could (basically) use Pavel as a crutch. With her left leg draped across Pavel's shoulders so that her front legs need not contact the ground, Celestia gave a nod and the three began up the stairs, Pavel and Celestia moving at a fairly slow rate, as she had to keep turned at an angle to allow the easiest movement. A good while of climbing later, the group reached the top of the stairs where Pavel guided Celestia to the bathroom of the home. The bathroom was nothing special, but it looked nice and was very clean and well-kept, the tile floor and smooth, light blue walls holding no blemishes of any kind. The bathtub that Pavel had directed Celestia to was also very clean, the white ceramics almost glowing in the evening light coming in through the bathroom's single, rectangular window. With a little bit of difficulty, both Pavel and Valinka were able to get Celestia into the bathtub where she stood for a moment before sitting herself down, her rear hooves slipping out from under her at the last moment causing her rear the hit the floor of the tub with a thud.

"Хотите купаться самостоятельно, или вы хотите помочь?"
(Would you like to bathe yourself, or do you want any help?) Valinka asked.

"Я могу сделать это сам , но спасибо за вопрос ."
(I can do it myself, but thank you for asking.) Replied Celestia with a smile.

"Мы оставить вас в покое , то . Если вам нужно что-нибудь, позвоните ."
(We'll leave you alone, then. If you need anything, give a call.)

With those words, Valinka and Pavel exited the bathroom, the two standing in the hallway for a moment after closing the door.

"Я теперь понял, что Принцесса Селестия в наш дом , принимая ванну. Он принял момент для вещей , чтобы установить в."
(I am now realizing that Princess Celestia is in our house taking a bath. It has taken a moment for things to set in.) Pavel spoke to Valinka as the two walked from the bathroom to the stairs.

"Это странно , не так ли ?"
(It's an odd thing, isn't it?) Answered Valinka, a smile upon her face.

A full 20 minutes later Celestia finally pulled the plug from the drain, the water forming a small vortex as it swirled down the drain. She had emptied and refilled the tub three times over the course of her bath because of just how much dried blood she had cleaned from her fur; for the first time in nearly a month, her extremely light pink, yet still rosy fur shined and her mane and tail held their usual colorful appearance. With the water draining, Celestia slowly stood herself up and levitated a towel to herself from a rack beside the tub, beginning to dry the water from her fur. Her very long bath had been a very welcome event, not only did the water wash away the blood, but its warmth had a soothing and relaxing effect on her tried, damaged muscles; she felt much more limber after having soaked in the hot water for so long. While looking at herself in the mirror that hung off the wall across the bathroom, Celestia noticed that she had begun to look healthier; the constant nutrition intake during her days in the forest had filled in her figure, and the bruises and cuts on her face and body appeared less red and swollen, many of the smaller wounds already beginning to heal.

After using her current towel to its maximum of water retention, Celestia hung it from the rack and took a second towel; with how large her body was and how small the towels were she had estimated possibly needing a third. There as a short knock at the door of the bathroom, the sound drawing Celestia's attention from drying herself off.

"Come in... I mean, ugh... Войдите!"
(Come in.) Celestia called.

The door creaked open to allow Valinka to step inside, a smile growing on her expression as she saw Celestia.

"Ты так гораздо лучше без всего этого ужасного черного , засохшей крови покрытия вашего мех. Вы не пахнет плохо больше , как хорошо!"
(You look so much better without all of that horrible black, dried blood coating your fur. You don't smell poorly anymore, as well!) Chriped Valinka.

"Действительно. Все , что борьба и ходьба , что я сделал в течение этого целого испытания не оставить меня в самых чистых условиях . Благодарю вас так много за предоставленную мне ванну ; Я попытался держать ваш ванна , как чистая , как мог."
(Indeed. All of that fighting and walking I've done over this whole ordeal didn't leave me in the cleanest of conditions. Thank you so much for allowing me a bath; I tried keeping your tub as clean as I could.) Responded Celestia with a grateful tone, after speaking she levitated her current towel to it's rack and carefully stepped from the tub, wobbling a little as her left leg could not be used to support her figure.

"Еще раз , Селестия , это только удовольствие сам и Павел , чтобы помогать вам . Хотя , у меня есть один маленький запрос как только вы все вытерся и готов вернуться вниз."
(Once again, Celestia, it is only a pleasure of myself and Pavel to be helping you. Though, I do have one small request for once you are all dried off and ready to come back downstairs.)

"Эта просьба будет что?"
(That Request would be what?)

"Пожалуйста, скажите Павлу I и ваша история , мы были очень любопытно, что случится с вами."
(Please tell Pavel and I your story, we have been very curious as to what happen to you.)

Celestia laughed lightly.

"Я обязан , что вы, по крайней мере. Теперь, не могли бы вы подойти ближе и помочь мне при ходьбе и делает его вниз по лестнице? Я не есть мой костыль."
(I do owe that to you, at least. Now, could you please come closer and assist me with walking and making it down the stairs? I do not have my crutch.)

Valinka quickly moved to Celestia's side, doing as Pavel had done to allow Celestia's left leg to drape over her shoulders as the helped guide Celestia from the bathroom and out into the hall. Coming to the stairs, Valinka did as Pavel had done before and turned diagonally, Celestia following the action to make the descent easier.

"Я так спокойно после этого ванну , мое тело , безусловно, нужен."
(I am so relaxed after that bath, my body certainly needed it.)

"У спокойного , как только мы добраться до дивана , я не хочу, чтобы ты падать вниз по лестнице ."
(Do your relaxing once we reach the couch, I don't need you falling down the stairs.) Valinka joked.

Upon reaching the base of the stairs, Celestia levitated her crutch from beside the couch so that she could walk without Valinka's help.

"Что вы строите , что костыль из ?"
(What did you build that crutch from?) Asked Valinka as she watched Celestia move herself to the couch.

"Я сломался стул из столовой этого дома я прошел . Это не самый лучший для мягкой земле , но это держит вес от моей ноги ."
(I broke down a chair from the dining room of that house I was held in. It's not the best for soft ground, but it keeps the weight off of my leg.) Celestia answered as she sat down on the couch.

"Упомянем ногу , я бы хотел , чтобы сшить до этот ужасный рану в левую ногу . Теперь, когда вы были очищены , я могу залатать некоторые из ваших травм , не опасаясь ничего заражения . Я , честно говоря удивлен, что вы не есть какие-либо инфекции . Вы сохранили свои раны при хорошем уходе ."
(To mention your leg, I'd like to stitch up that horrible gash. Now that you've been cleaned up, I can patch up some of your injuries without worry of anything getting infected. I'm honestly surprised you don't have any serious infections. You've kept your wounds under good care.) Valinka spoke as she took the small medical kit that Pavel had delivered earlier, opening it to get the sewing equipment held within.

"Ты очень хорошо с медицинскими вещами , вы медсестра или врач ?"
(You're very good with medical things, are you a nurse or doctor?)

"Нет, я только что прочитал ряд первых книг помощи , он помогает быть осознающий по оказанию первой помощи далеко от крупных больниц . Существует небольшая клиника в городе, но это мало. Теперь, не могли бы вы провести свой ногу ? Я не знаю, если вы когда-либо имели швов , но это будет немного больно ."
(No, I have just read a number of first aid books, it helps to be knowledged in first aid this far from any major hospitals. There is a small clinic in town, but it's small. Now, could you please hold out your leg? I don't know if you have ever had stitches, but it will hurt a little.) Spoke Valinka as she took Celestia's leg with a hoof and began to sew the gash closed.

Celestia put extra effort into holding still as she watched Valinka work. The feeling the needle created as it poked through her skin included barely any pain thanks to the morphine in her system, but there still was the odd sensation caused by the needle breaking the surface of her skin. She was grateful Valinka had dedicated so much time to help mend the numerous and severe wounds across her figure, the healing process would certainly be quicker with the larger cuts; a simple bandage was not enough to hold such wounds closed.

"Я хотел было для меня способ отплатить тебе за доброту вы показали мне , Valinka ."
(I wish there was a way for me to repay you for the kindness you've shown me, Valinka.) Celestia spoke, giving her a warm smile.

"Я хочу, чтобы не погашения , Celestia . Единственное, что вы могли бы сделать для меня обещание держать себя в безопасности, когда вы, наконец, уйти. Я не знаю, какую опасность вы столкнуться в будущем, но если вы пережили такой степени травмы это пор я знаю, что вы будете делать это до конца вещей."
(I wish for no repayment, Celestia. The only thing you could do for me is promise to keep yourself safe once you finally leave. I do not know what danger you face in the future, but if you've lived through this extent of injury so far I know you will make it through the rest of things.)

"Если я сделать это через это, я во многом обязаны это вам и Павла . Даже сейчас я должен много в моей жизни с вами два."
(If I do make it through this, I will owe much of it to you and Pavel. Even now I owe much of my life to you two.)

Valinka finally put the few last stitches into Celestia's wound, using a pair of scissors to remove the leftover thread.

"Я полагаю, вы хотели бы услышать мою историю ."
(I suppose you would like to hear my story.) Celestia commented while Valinka took a roll of bandages from her small pile of supplies.

"После того, как Павел возвращается с рынка , да, мы должны услышать это ."
(Once Pavel returns from the market, yes, we shall have to hear it.) Responded Valinka, confirming Celestia's suspicion that Pavel was not present in the home.

"Ой? Ну , я полагаю, это может подождать ."
(Oh? Well, I suppose it can wait.)

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 20: Good News or the Great News?

Princess Luna held a hoof to her eyes as she and Cloud Drop exited from the dimly lit meeting room in the North wing of Canterlot Castle; the sun's light shining much brighter than when the two had entered the room hours before.

Luna's day had been nothing but meetings thus far; she had woken up at her now normal time of 3:00 AM, eaten breakfast, met Cloud Drop and several other Officers in Canterlot Castle's 'war room', and then departed an hour later after detailed discussions of how the Royal Guard planned on searching for Celestia to attend yet another meeting on more specifics of how Princess Luna wanted her cold war between The New Order and Star Yield to be conducted.

The plan was simple; get the assistance of the Stalliongradians in the form of search parties, aircraft, and logistics, have the Stalliongradians cut off The New Order's supplies and access to military bases, and dismantle the New Order's chain of command by removing their high-level Officers.

In the previous meeting, Luna had the idea to have Cloud Drop bring in several known Officers who possessed the Aura, and with a simple spell she had created over a thousand years ago; she had been able to fully remove the Aura, meaning that Star Yield hadn't been smart enough to change the Aura's base spell to disallow such a thing to happen.

Luna, after seeing that she had the ability to remove the aura, stated that it might be more effective if they put off Celestia's rescue and dismantled the entirety of the New Order, that way interference during the search would be basically 0, but Cloud Drop and several of the Officers in the room brought up the fact that doing such was basically impossible. Only a few Aura hosting Officers were currently at Canterlot Castle; many were spread around; meaning completely dismantling the chain of command for such a large organization was going to be next to impossible in a short amount of time. After that discussion, Luna really began to see just how hard cleaning this mess up would be.

Thus far, the plan created after hours of discussion was to prepare 6 of the newly ordered helicopters for SAR (search and rescue), 2 being the large, and extremely long ranged V-24s, which had a special package provided by the manufacturer that added 2 large internal fuel bladders as well as 2 external, cylindrical fuel tanks; with the package fitted, the helicopter was able to fly an additional 320 miles before needing to refuel.

The other 4 helicopters, which were to be the smaller SN-32s, would also carry a full load of fuel in their much smaller, and fixed instead of an addon package, external fuel tanks to squeeze as much range out of the machines as possible. Without the need to transport great amounts of cargo or a full load of soldiers, the aircraft had no need to worry about the added weight of the fuel, but since the aircraft would be carrying provisions for their crews as well as small airborne search teams, or as those who operated with the teams called them; Angels, the aircraft would be near their maximum take-off weight (at least the small SN-32s would be; their larger cousin V-24s would still have a long way to go before being at their max).

One of the lucky V-24 crews would have the pleasure of carrying an additional cargo: Princess Luna and Admiral Cloud Drop, who; despite his several objections, would be joining in on the search. Cloud had argued it best, and safest, for Luna to stay at the castle and let the search crews do their jobs so that they may work at dismantling the New Order, but Luna had the final say, and her say was that they would be going along on the ride.

The Admiral was slightly disappointed in Luna's lack of judgment on the matter; one's personal wants should never override something critical, such as getting rid of an entire organization that wanted to (basically) destroy how life was lived in Equestria.

"Must we do anymore sitting? My back has really had the last of this." Luna whined, groaning and stretching while the two stood outside the meeting room.

"Luckily, that was our last large meeting for today, but your back will really be killing you once we get aboard that helicopter. We'll be living out of that thing until we find Celestia."

"Funny, the sitting is the least of my worries. From what I understand our meals will be re-hydrated soups and stale bread."

Cloud Drop chuckled.

"Whoever told you the MREs were that bad was pulling your leg. You get all sorts of good stuff in them; chocolate bars, coffee, energy bars, non-stale crackers and cookies for soup and tea; all sorts of stuff. Not to mention, your Majesty," Cloud's voice lowered to a mumble, "I can certainly arrange for our helicopter's food to be a little nicer." He finished with a smirk.

"I appreciate the offer, but I shall pass. It would be most unfair to those accompanying us on the journey. Maybe the food will be fun, sort of like camping!" Luna chirped.

"Oh, it will be like camping. We'll either be sleeping inside the helicopter or in a tent."

Their conversation was cut off as the meeting room door clicked open, its well-maintained hinges making no sounds. The rest of the attendees of the meeting exited, light chat filling the air as the group now stood in the hall in front of the room.

"Just to let you know, Princess, we plan on having the helicopters depart in around 7 hours." One of the younger mission planners spoke, many different papers tucked under both of his bright white wings.

"7 hours?" Luna groaned, "I planned on going back to sleep soon! My sleep schedule has been completely ruined for the past while. Being the only nocturnal creature in this Castle is not preferable..."

"Well, your highness, try to get to bed soon, because 7 hours is an exaggeration. When we tell the crews who we're going to be rescuing I don't think anyone will be taking their time."

Princess Luna turned to Cloud Drop, who instantly nodded with a smile.

"Yes, you can get some rest now, your highness. I'll handle everything else until we leave." He spoke.

"Oh, well thank you, Admiral! I shall see you when we must depart!"

"Ah, wait... one last thing I just thought of, have you tried sending a letter to Celestia? I know we've got many ways of using magical signatures to find someone, but it seems like an obvious approach. Send the letter and follow the glowing, green smoke trail... you know?" Cloud Drop explained.

"This idea has occurred to me; yes... but I do not think it would work as we wish it to. My sister is under the impression I have been the organizer and perpetrator of all she has been through; therefore, I think it is safe to say the moment she received a letter from myself she would catch on to our plan and completely disable the spell altogether."

"Oh, well... alright, then. I'll have someone wake you when it's time to leave if you don't get yourself up in time."

With a wave, Princess Luna began down the hall away from the group. She hoped she could get some sleep; the knowledge Celestia was still alive somewhere and that she would hopefully be found soon was enough to keep her up out of excitement. Cloud Drop, who was still standing among the group of officials, tapped his hoof on the marble floor in thought; Luna sending a letter would scare Celestia into further hiding... so what if the letter didn't come from Luna?

"Captain, I'll be absent for the next few hours, I've got an idea." Cloud said to one of his subordinates.

"Understood, Admiral. Might I ask what your idea is and why it'll take you the next few hours?"

"I'm going to have Twilight Sparkle come with us on the SAR mission, I know how she can help us track down Celestia faster."

A fair 5 hours had gone by since Celestia had arrived at the small house of Valinka and Pavel. The sun was completely down, and the outside world was nothing more than a black sheet covering the windows of the home.

Celestia was surprised at how quickly she had become friends with the two, and she couldn't help but be extremely impressed with how kindly they were treating her; Valinka had cooked her an extremely delicious and filling meal, Pavel had gone out and bought her more food for her trip along with a proper compass, map of the area, and a brighter flashlight; Valinka had also spent a good hour mending every small cut on her body.

Grateful and all of the word's synonyms were not enough to describe how Celestia felt towards the couple. Initially, she had been slightly annoyed by the pair's tenacity in finding out exactly how she had gotten to such poor health, as just thinking of everything that had happened in the past month nearly brought her to tears and speaking brought a horrible ache to her broken jaw, but once she had explained her whole situation Celestia felt as if a weight had been lifted from her. The old saying that holding something in instead of talking about it only made things worse certainly held truth to it.

"Так что ... как именно вы планируете получать все обратно в нормальное состояние, как только вы оправились от ваших травм?"
(So... exactly how do you plan on getting everything back to normal once you have recovered from your injuries?) Pavel, who was sitting across the room in his arm chair, asked.

Celestia stared blankly at the floorboards in front of the fireplace for several moments in deep thought.

"Я не знаю. У меня было 5 целыми днями в одиночестве в лесу, чтобы придумать ответ на ваш вопрос ... но я до сих пор нет никаких идей относительно того, как именно, чтобы исправить все это. Вещи, возможно, никогда не будет нормальным снова."
(I do not know. I have had 5 whole days alone in the forest to think of an answer to your question... but I still have no ideas on how exactly to fix all of this. Things might never be normal again.) Responded Celestia.

"Вы уверены, что вы не хотите, чтобы остаться здесь дольше? Клиника в городе хорошо оснащены достаточно, чтобы справиться со своими травмами."
(Are you sure you don't want to stay here longer? The Clinic in town is equipped well enough to deal with your injuries.) Injected Valinka, concern hanging on her words.

"Да, я уверен. Это займет много времени для меня, чтобы наконец-то добраться до Москвы, но как только я могу получить с Михаилом, и как только я с ним безопасности не будет проблемой больше."
(Yes, I'm sure. It will take a long time for me to finally reach the Capital, but once I do I can get with Mikhail, and once I'm with him safety won't be a problem anymore.)

"Михаил, как в президента Михаила?"
(Mikhail, as in President Mikhail?) Inquired Valinka

"Да. Я близких друзей с ним, и как только я получаю в Москву он сможет получить меня в безопасное больницу и обеспечить охрану."
(Yes. I am close friends with him, and once I get to the Capital he will be able to get me to a safe hospital and provide guard.)

Off to the side, Pavel exclaimed out as he had a thought.

"Я только что вспомнил , есть способы к северу есть большая башня радио, которое мы используем, чтобы поговорить с военной базы на другом конце горного хребта ! Завтра я сделаю мой путь туда, чтобы призвать к вертолету, чтобы забрать вас!"
(I just remembered, a ways north of the town is a big radio tower that we use to talk to a military base at the other end of the mountain range! Tomorrow I'll make my way up there to call for a helicopter to pick you up!) Spoke Pavel with excitement.

Celestia took the map that Pavel had gotten her from the table in front of her and opened it, squinting and adjusting the map's distance from her eyes as she attempted to view the blurry images before her. Closing the eye the White Stallion had hit so many times made the image crystal clear again; confirming Celestia's fears that he had most likely inflicted permanent damage to her vision.

When she had finally escaped from the house she had been held in for 4 long weeks she had remembered having troubles with reading small texts, but she figured that damage would heal itself over time. So far, it appeared that wasn't the case.

"Что случилось, Селестия ?"
(What's wrong, Celestia?) Pavel asked, causing her to lower the map to look up at him.

"Я ... я с трудом читает эту карту ... где мы?"
(I... am having a hard time reading this map... where are we?) Celestia answered, her voice a little shaky as she turned the map to Pavel.

"Прямо здесь , в промежутке между этими двумя короткими горами . Название нашего города является Тисы."
(Right here, in between these two short mountains. The name of our town is Tisy.)

Celestia turned the map back to herself, and after a long moment was able to locate the city. Reading things with one eye closed was odd.

"Вы продолжаете закрывать глаза , что то, что случилось с ним?"
(You keep shutting that right eye, what's wrong with it?) Asked Valinka with concern.

"Это ... жеребец ударил глаз каждый чертов шанс он получил . Теперь я уверен , что он причинил непоправимый ущерб моему виду."
(That Stallion hit this eye every damn chance he got. I'm now sure that he caused permanent damage to my sight.) Explained Celestia; her tone and expression showing what could only be described as defeat.

She let out a sigh, folding the map and lowering it back to the coffee table before her.

"Будьте очень надеюсь, что вы никогда не будете испытывать то, что я сделал."
(Be very hopeful you will never experience what I did.) She commented somberly.

"У вас возникли проблемы со зрением из-за чего, что жеребец сделал для вас, не так ли?"
(You are having trouble seeing because of what that Stallion did to you, right?) Asked Pavel.

"Да. Наряду с удара моей голове много раз он дал мне очень серьезный черный глаз более одного раза; мое право принимать большинство своих хитов. Теперь это трудно понять из этого глаза, и я боюсь, что он может причинить что-то постоянное."
(Yes. Along with hitting my head many times he had given me a very serious black eye more than once; my right taking most of his hits. Now it's hard to see out of that eye, and I fear he may have caused something permanent.)

"Я не могу себе представить, что ваша сестра были такие вещи сделано для вас."
(I cannot imagine that your Sister has had such things done to you.)

"неважно все это ... давайте вернемся к плану вертолета ..."
(Nevermind all of that... let us return to the helicopter plan...) Injected Celestia to change the subject.

"Ну, завтра я уйду рано, чтобы пойти и просить вертолет, который приходит только тогда, когда кто-то серьезно травмирован и должен быть доставлен в крупных больницах на юге. Мы должны принять вас в клинику для того, чтобы вы, чтобы забрать на вертолете, так что мы должны принять вас там. Я знаю, что вы пытаетесь скрыть, но тратить 8 часов на больничной койке не будет конца."
(Well, tomorrow I'll leave early to go and request the helicopter, which only comes when someone is severely injured and needs to be taken to the major hospitals down south. We do have to take you to the clinic in order for you to be picked up by the helicopter, so we do have to take you there. I know you're trying to hide, but spending 8 hours in a hospital bed won't be the end.)

"Ты прав. Я полагаю, завтра будет наш последний день вместе?"
(You're right. I suppose tomorrow will be our last day together?)

"Aвнаверноетра Зневажно, наверное. Это займет некоторое время, чтобы поход на эту станцию, даже при помощи грузовика, и он занимает около 6 часов вертолет, чтобы добраться сюда."
(Two days from now, probably. It takes a while to hike to that station, even with the assistance of a truck, and it takes about 6 hours for the helicopter to get here.)

Celestia let out a loud yawn, stretching her hind legs out far enough to where they had extended underneath the table sitting a fair half meter away.

"Уставать?"
(Getting tired?) Asked Valinka.

"Я был уставшим, так как я проснулся в этом доме."
(I have been tired since I woke up in that house.)

"Вы хотите спать наверху, в нашей постели? Я не буду возражать, и я не думаю, что Valinka бы."
(Would you like to sleep upstairs in our bed? I won't mind, and I don't think Valinka would.) Asked Pavel, looking to Valinka after finishing his sentence who nodded her head in agreement.

"Я ценю ваше предложение, но я останусь на диване. Сон в постели означает, что я должен встать и идти вверх по лестнице, так что я думаю, что я останусь здесь на стоянке."
(I appreciate your offer, but I'll stay on the couch. Sleeping in your bed means I have to stand up and go up those stairs, so I think I'll stay parked here.) Celestia said with a smile as Valinka and Pavel stood up from their spots.

"Есть ли вам нужна помощь сами поселились в?"
(Do you need help getting yourself settled in?) Valinka asked just as she was about to walk up the staircase.

"Нет, я в порядке. Я могу справиться со всеми этими одеялами ты дал мне с моей магии, это не проблема."
(No, I am fine. I can deal with all of these blankets you've given me with my magic, it's no problem.)

With a nod, Valinka began following Pavel up the creaky wooden stairs of the home.

"Одна последняя вещь, вы оба. Если вы разбудили меня кричать в середине ночи, я проснулась от кошмара, так что не слишком напугана. Я могу почти гарантировать, что это произойдет снова, потому что каждый раз, когда я пошел спать в последние 4 недели это случилось."
(One last thing, both of you. If you are woken up by me screaming in the middle of the night, I was woken up by a nightmare, so don't be too frightened. I can almost guarantee it will happen again, because every time I've gone to sleep in the past 4 weeks it's happened.)

"Благодарим Вас за уведомление ... Бедняжка, это должно быть ужасно не в состоянии сна, не имея какой-то страшный сон."
(Thank you for the notice... you poor thing, it must be terrible not being able to sleep without having some horrid dream.)

Valinka didn't know what to be more concerned about; the fact Celestia could talk so casually about something so terrible, or that Celestia claimed every time she had slept in the past 4 weeks a night terror had awoken her mid-slumber.

"стараться иметь хорошую ночь, Челести."
(Try to have a good night, Celestia.) Finished Valinka as she continued on upstairs.

Twilight's ears perked as she heard a hard rap at the door of her home; normally she could tell if here friends were knocking since they each had a unique style of knock. (example; Fluttershy's knock was always extremely light)

"Hello! who is it?" Twilight called, standing from her comfortable seat beside the fireplace.

"I'd like to have a word, Ms. Sparkle." Cloud Drop's deep voice said through the wooden door, the sound causing Twilight to pause.

"A-Admiral Cloud Drop?" She returned.

"Indeed. Don't worry, I'm not here to grill you on the research you've been doing. Quite the opposite, actually."

Twilight's attention had certainly been caught. She opened the door to see the Admiral's imposing, snow-dusted figure, his winter clothing and armor plating (chest plate, back and belly plate, as well as leg protectors) giving him a much larger appearance.

"May I come in? It's fairly cold this afternoon."

Twilight nodded, closing the door behind the Admiral as he entered.

"Do you mind if we take a seat? You might want to be seated for this, anyway."

"Oh... y-yes, that's fine by me."

The two took a seat in the warm living room of Twilight's home, the only sound being the low rumble and pop from the fireplace and Twilight nervously shifting herself around. Twilight didn't know this, but Cloud took a great deal of pleasure in making her nervous.

"So, would you prefer the good news or the great news?" He asked, two of his armor plates clinking together as she adjusted himself in his seat.

"Uh... well... the good news?"

"The good news is all of the things you suspect of taking place at Celestia's death are, in fact, true. Her helicopter was shot down, this fact was covered up in official reports, Princess Celestia's body is not resting in her tomb in the Canterlot Cemetery, and there is, indeed, something a lot larger at play here. Something larger than either of us or Princess Luna."

The Admiral's words shocked Twilight to no end, her expression one of total disbelief. It was clear that she was having trouble finding words to respond with.

"I... I, so... okay... I pretty much knew I was right about the helicopter being shot down... but what do you mean by something bigger?" Twilight responded.

"Well, to start off with, you have suspected both myself and Princess Luna of involvement in some way, correct?"

"Yes... but I don't..."

"You're very much right about my involvement, Ms. Sparkle. There is an organization calling themselves 'The New Order' operating under the surface of the Royal Guard and the Equestrian Government with one goal in mind: get rid of Celestia, resurrect Nightmare Moon, and elevate Princess Luna to an ultimate position of power."

"I know this is a lot to take in, but trust me, I'll make everything clear, and I'll also explain why I, Princess Luna, and the rest of Equestria would very much appreciate your help right now. This is where the great news comes in." He finished with an unusually warm smile.

Twilight had her head held in her hooves, her eyes directed to the floor as she still struggled to process what she was being told.

"Why do you need me?"

"Princess Celestia is alive, Twilight Sparkle."

Her head instantly snapped up to look at the Admiral, who's expression still held a warm smile.

"W-What?"

"Our friend is not dead, despite what everyone has been told, but we currently have no idea where she is. I believe you're the one who can help us find her."

Twilight's hooves went to her mouth, her breath stuttering and her eyes wide as she looked at Cloud Drop with a mixture of disbelief and great joy.

"Y-you're joking, right!? S-she... Celestia is alive?" She choked, her hooves still held to her mouth.

"She's alive; extremely injured and lost in the middle of the Black Forests of Stalliongrad... but she is alive. Just take a moment to take this all in, Ms. Sparkle, it's a lot to hear."

"By Equestria's name, you're right; it's a lot to take in!" Twilight chuckled, her chest heaving occasionally as she cried, a happiness she had never felt filling her emotions. That pain she felt in her chest the first moment she heard Celestia had passed felt as if it had never happened. "I... I can't believe what you're telling me. A-And you said that you were part of this whole organization? What a-about Princess Luna... and... why are you telling me all of this if you're part of it!?" She exclaimed, her tears beginning to slow as the rest of the Admiral's statements finally began registering.

"Princess Luna, oddly enough, has had absolutely 0 direct input on the organization's formation, and up until a few days ago; had was completely unaware it existed. The only reason she knows is because Celestia managed to escape from where she was being held and now there's a frantic search for her. And, once more, I was heavily involved in the organizations workings; I was basically second in command beside Star Yield, whom I assume you know, but around 4 days ago we informed Princess Luna of the organization's existence and what we had been doing under her nose, and of course she denounced our actions as horrid and insane."

"Star Yield... being the massive idiot he can be sometimes, thought it best to make Luna; the one we've spent 3 years trying to get into ultimate power, an enemy. I instantly sided with Luna on the issue and completely denounced the New Order... which for the past while I had been having second thoughts about despite the Aura spell."

"Aura? What in the world is the 'Aura' spell?" Twilight asked, still taken aback by the information she was being given.

"Eh... well... basically mind control, but a lot more subtle than your stereotypical mind control. I'll have Princess Luna explain that one to you in a few hours, she made the spell after all."

"Wait wait wait wait... you just said Luna had nothing to do with the... New Order... and then you tell me that she's the one who created this mind control spell that's used by the organization? How does that work!?" Blurted Twilight, her words suggesting she was becoming suspect of what Cloud Drop had been telling her.

The Admiral chuckled lightly, shaking his head.

"When you put it that way it sounds terrible, I know, but let's back-track a full thousand years ago when the spell was originally created. No one knows this, but all those years ago Luna created that spell, which wasn't called the Aura, mind you, to rally others to her cause with no issue, but the problem was she was stopped by Celestia before anything could be done."

"A thousand years later when Princess Luna made her return as Nightmare Moon, she started to use it again, but it was modified from its original spell to make it much more potent. Once again, she was stopped before wide use had taken effect, and the spell was completely lost... and now, I know nothing about magic, so I don't know why this happened, but Princess Celestia ordered Star Yield to investigate the magical properties of a shard of Nightmare Moon's armor, and somehow the spell was transferred to him, and Nightmare Moon's voice spoke to him through the shard and the spell telling him to, and I quote this, "rally against the sun"."

"He then started modifying the spell to work for a specific directive, and... well, now here we are, in this whole mess. Look, Twilight, I know a lot of the things I have told you seriously contradict themselves at times, and I know it is a horrible, jumbled mess... but the real truth is that what we're entering isn't a conflict with a visible enemy or just 2 sides. In a few days, the Stalliongradian Military will get thrown into this, as we need their help looking for Celestia."

"That's why you need me, right? You said you think I can find her?"

"Yes. Ah... well... get ready for more explaining, because it's a very odd reason why I want you specifically." Cloud Drop groaned, rubbing his face with a hoof. He hated talking about this. "This will be extremely shocking, but Star Yield's bright idea to bring Nightmare Moon back was to use Celestia's body and mind as a medium, which would basically kill her, but bring back Nightmare Moon... which for the New Order was optimal. That's why we needed to capture her; to use her body and mind."

"Once more, lack of magical knowledge will leave this at an 'I don't know', but the spell to make this happen must only be cast at the peak of a Solar Eclipse, because apparently; Luna's magic is the strongest at that time, but there was a catch. Celestia's mind and body would need to be very weak; near the point of death, for it to work. So... ugh,"

Cloud sighed once more, he looked a little choked up.

"We captured her so we could torture her until the eclipse. She was held for a solid month before killing the three we had assigned to 'take care' of her and escape, which is why we need to find her quickly because we have no idea what they did to her. I should mention we're having an air convoy fly to Stalliongrad in several hours to go look for her and hopefully find her before The New Order does, and we plan to use both magical and visual searching to find her, but I had an idea. When you use that spell that sends a letter, you can see the little green smoke trail head in the direction of the recipient, correct?"

"Y-yeah... but... they've been tortu..."

"Okay. I asked Princess Luna 'what if we sent letters and tracked the smoke trail?', she said it would work, but if Luna sent them Princess Celestia would completely cut off the spell, because... once again, Star Yield is very smart and decided to tell Princess Celestia that Luna was the one having her tortured to serve as extra psychological torture."

"If you send her the letters, then we'll have a much greater chance of actually finding her, because she won't instantly block communications. Once more... I can understand how shocking this all is, and how most of this sounds extremely fishy... but you must believe me." Cloud finished, adding on the last statement as he noticed the questioning look on Twilight's face.

"They've been torturing her!? And you said she actually killed three others!?" Twilight shook her head in disbelief, "I couldn't imagine her killing somepony... whatever you and that nut-job cult of an organization the New Order did to Celestia must have been beyond words."

It was clear that the young Princess was angered to no end hearing of what has been done to her friend and mentor.

"You will help us in the search, though... right?" Cloud Drop asked with concern.

Twilight had never seen the Admiral so worried.

"Yes, of course, I'll help! I'd have to be insane not to. Just... I have 2 questions. Why is Princess Luna not here, and if you were part of that organization, you have the mind control spell... so if you have that spell then why did you change your mind and come here to tell me all of this?"

"Her majesty is currently asleep; we've been in and out meetings since she woke up. As for the spell, it's life span wasn't infinite. For some, it took a full 6 months to start wearing off, and for others, it would only take a few weeks. For me, it began to only take a few weeks, and then for a good 2 months I never went to Star Yield to have him re-instate the spell... and I had a lot of time where my mind questioned itself."

He drew in a deep breath.

"Ms. Sparkle, you have no idea the guilt I felt once we had captured Celestia... and when I first saw Luna after she had been told Celestia was killed. I thought 'how are we helping Luna by hurting her so much?'."

Twilight sighed, looking to the floor with a sigh of exasperation.

"Thank you for deciding to change sides, Admiral. Well... when do you want me to get to Canterlot?"

"As soon as possible, Ms. Sparkle. I suggest you pack the thickest coats and warmest clothing items you can. We'll be spending all of our time in or around one of the helicopters, and the heaters inside don't work too well. Don't bother packing food, we'll have that covered. Any further questions?"

"No... I, I'm good. I'll be at Canterlot as soon as I can." Responded Twilight, her state of bewilderment and confusion as to what she had just been pulled into clear in her voice.

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Sparkle."

With that, the Admiral stood from his seat and made his way to the door, exiting from the house into the snowy outside world. Twilight sat down before letting a deep sigh escape her lungs.

"What in the name of Equestria did I just get pulled into..." Twilight muttered to herself, shaking her head lightly.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 21: Why Does Everyone Drink Whiskey?

The loud clanging of hooves on metal caused Princess Luna to turn to see who was coming out of the helicopter parked behind her, the small fire to her front giving just enough light for her to see that it was Twilight Sparkle; stretching as she walked down the large loading ramp of the aircraft.

It had been 12 hours since the rescue op had departed from Canterlot's Aerodrome, and it was still about 2 hours till sunrise. The two V-24s, one of which had Twilight, Luna and Cloud Drop aboard, had taken a different flight path than the smaller SN-32s, since the latter aircraft needed to follow the standard path of refueling stations up to Stalliongrad. Currently, the pair of helicopters were landed in a large, level field near the Stalliongradian border to allow both the crews and aircraft some time to rest overnight. Luna, being nocturnal, had been the only one up thus far, but it appeared her making a fire had awoken Twilight.

"Good morning," Luna spoke softly to the young Alicorn as she stepped to Luna's side.

"Glad to see you've made a f-fire... even with all t-these clothes I'm f-f-freezing." Twilight chattered in response.

"Have you considered either sleeping in your heavy clothes or putting them in your sleeping bag with you?"

Twilight looked into the fire blankly for a moment.

"No, but t-that's a wonderful idea. Have you m-made any coffee or f-food yet?"

Both a metal cup and steaming kettle were levitated to Twilight, the objects surrounded by Luna's magic.

"T-Thanks."

The two fell silent as Twilight sat herself down beside Princess Luna on one of the four snow and ice covered logs that had been arranged around the campfire site as a form of seating. Twilight took a light sip of the hot brew she had been given, gagging at its bitter taste.

"Eugh... you drink coffee black?"

"Of course! That is the only way I know coffee. In my time we had no cream." Luna spoke, bringing her own cup to her lips.

"Did we bring cream or sugar?" Asked Twilight as she looked over her shoulder into the helicopter.

"Yes. There is an open box atop one of the pallets inside, that is where you'll find your items."

Twilight stood up and shuffled her way back into the helicopter, leaving Luna to finish her cup of coffee by herself. Eventually, Twilight returned after adding cream and sugar to her coffee, standing closer to the fire as opposed to sitting back down beside Luna.

"Oh, hello friend." Luna spoke quietly.

"Hello, Luna."

"I was speaking to that fellow over there at the tree line."

Twilight snapped her head to the mentioned treeline, which was only a fair 20 meters away.

"Somepony's over there? I... I can't see anything..."

"I forget your eyes are not as attuned to the night as mine are. A wolf is looking at us."

"Should we be... uh... worried?"

"No, no, not at all. The wildlife around us is more afraid of us than we are of it. No lone wolf would be stupid enough to attack the two of us. If our lone friend did have comrades, I feel it unlikely they would attempt to attack." Luna explained, drawing her attention away from the treeline and back to the fire, which needed more fuel.

"Well, tell me if any more of them show up."

Luna chuckled, looking up at the still worried Twilight.

"This is your first time being in the wild, yes?"

"Well... I've been camping before... and, eh..." Twilight stopped short as she noticed Luna looking towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, this is basically the first time I've been in the wild." She admitted with defeat.

"You will learn to view the creatures of these woods around you with respect and not fear, which; mind you, are different despite what one might think. Seeing things through the lens of respect was one thing I felt kept me safe from the many creatures that roamed the nightly scapes of Equestria's lands those many years ago when I was still the Guardian of the Night." Spoke the Princess with a tone of reminiscence.

Twilight offered no response; letting the conversation between the two drop away as she returned to her cup of brew. The silence of the night was cut by the sound of a metal door sliding open and then promptly closing with an echoing, almost mechanical thud. Both Twilight and Luna looked over to the second helicopter to see that one of the crew members had exited from the helicopter and was shuffling towards them through the snow.

"Oh, good. I t-thought I'd have t-to make myself a f-f-fire." Spoke the crewman as he stood himself close to the flames.

"I hope we did not wake you, sir." Luna apologized.

"No, y-your Majesty, I got up on my own. The r-rest of my crew is still waking up. G-got any coffee brewing?"

"I can prepare more, yes. I assume you would like sugar and cream with your cup?"

"J-just sugar, please."

Luna turned her attention to adding more grounds and water to the brewing vessel, which was sitting on a flat rock near the fire to act as a stove.

"I assume you're the Pilot of the other aircraft?" Inquired Luna.

"Crew Chief, actually."

"Ah, I see."

Luna's attention was turned back to the coffee she had been preparing as she levitated the vessel from its place near the fire and opened the lid, steam rising from the opening in a thick column. With the coffee finished brewing, Luna floated a stamped metal cup over to the Crew Chief, who took the cup in his own magic and added 2 packets of sugar, swirling it around before taking a sip.

"Thanks a ton, your Majesty. It's so hard to start a day without this stuff, especially out here."

"Agreed."

A loud meowing sound was suddenly heard from the cabin of the first helicopter, followed by the tired voice of Cloud Drop. Princess Luna and the Crew Chief fell silent, the two looking into the aircraft to see what the commotion was. Barely visible was the figure of Cloud Drop as he began to pour a bowl of food for his kitten, who had tagged along for the ride in a proper carrier box. With his companion fed, Cloud Drop stepped out of the cabin while attempting to slip on a second, thicker coat than the one he currently wore with his boots and scarf.

"I h-hope you've got more of t-that coffee going." He chattered, walking over to the group and taking a standing position by the fire just as the Crew Chief of the adjacent aircraft had done earlier.

"How is your little friend doing? Cream or sugar?"
Luna asked with a smile, levitating a cup of brew over to the Admiral.

"None, thank you, and he's fine. Hungry, as usual, but he doesn't look cold or anything."

"You have a cat with you, sir?" Blankly asked the Crew Chief .

"A kitten, yes. I was originally thinking of finding someone to take care of him while we went on this journey of ours, but he tends to get sad whenever I'm gone... so I kind of had to bring him."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, how did you get a kitten?"

"I found him... well, he found me, a while back when I was in Canterlot. I had gotten a few blocks down from Star Yield's home when I hear this little meow, and he was beneath a bench in the snow. He just kind of walked up to me, so I picked him up and took him back to the Castle with me."

"I never took you as the kind to have a pet, sir." Commented the Crew Chief, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Neither did I."

The group's chatter fell flat as everyone went back to trying to stay warm, Luna particularly enjoying the little moment of everyone sitting and having a cup of brew in the beautiful dawn. The sun had just begun to peek over the hills to south, the snow and ice of the landscape glimmering a deep orange. After a fair 15 minutes, the rest of the helicopter crew members and pilots had woken up and joined the group around the fire, and once everyone had gotten warmed up and had their brew, the crews went to work prepping the aircraft for takeoff, leaving the Princess, Twilight, and the Admiral to sit by the fire alone.

"So, when do we try and contact Celestia?"
Twilight asked.

"Once we have met with President Mikhail and organized more search teams with him, then we shall send our first letter." Responded Luna as she levitated one of the stamped metal coffee cups from its place near the fire, which was still burning with intensity.

"Can't you send letters to the President? Wouldn't that be much faster than us traveling there on our own?"

"No, I cannot. We three are the only ones to have access to the spell and associated paper. In hindsight, it seems it would be very beneficial if we were to give our allies access to this spell." Luna explained as she used the cup to scoop up some snow from the ground before herself.

"Is there any particular reason that spell isn't given to allies of Equestria?" Asked Twilight.

"Yes, quite a few. Celestia was always one to think very far into the future... there I go speaking as if she's still dead." Spoke Luna with a chuckle, shaking her head side to side.

"I've caught myself doing that." The Admiral added.

"Anyway... Celestia thinks far into the future with most of her decisions, one tends to do so with immortality, and she knew that minds changed and power moved often in the world of politics; she thought that it be best to keep the letter spell between herself and I so that in the event an ally who had been allowed to use the spell; for any reason, changed their mind and was no longer friendly they would not have access to our main means of communication. Celestia had also discovered there was a way to create a spell to counter a sent letter while it was in transit and a spell that would intercept the letter so that its contents may be read."

"If that's the case, why do I have access to the spell?" Twilight asked naively.

"You are much more than a political ally, Twilight. Much more."

The chat fell silent once more.

"I've been thinking about this, Luna; how are we going to get Celestia to come with us if she thinks you're the one that's been organizing this?"
Twilight asked after a moment.

Luna took a pause, tapping the coffee cup held in her hooves as she thought.

"You pose a question I have been pondering since the Admiral informed me of our plan... and I still cannot reliably answer you. All I can think to do is tell her the truth and hope she will believe us. She may not even need to believe us, if we can simply get her aboard this helicopter and take her to a hospital, she might see that we do not mean her any harm."

The conversation went quite for a moment as the three now thought of the question brought up by Twilight.

"Admiral, were you ever informed of my sister's exact condition? If not, what estimate would you place?"

"Her exact condition; no, no one but Celestia knows that because she killed the three assigned to 'deal' with her before Star Yield was ever able to get himself up there and inspect everything for himself... but he told me what he was able to piece together. She had been held for a full month, just a few short of 30 days, and during that time would have been constant three to four times a day torture from what I was told, and Star told me that the little concrete cell in the basement she was kept in had been absolutely covered in dried blood, and only a little bit of it was from the three stallions she had murdered. I know she can walk, but not without the help of a crutch; Star found her hoof prints leading away from the house, and every other print wasn't from a hoof, but some object. If I was to give a description... a broken leg, lots of stab and slash wounds, plenty of bruises, and broken bones in other places, but it may be worse than that."

Luna felt sick to her stomach hearing that such a thing had been done to her sister in her name.

"We're airborne in 3 minutes! Get aboard!" Called a crew member from the first helicopter, seconds after his call a loud bang pierced the silence of the forest as the helicopter's large radial engine began spooling up.

The three quickly stood from their log made seat, Luna levitating all of the coffee brewing materials from beside the fireplace and bringing them back into the aircraft with her. With everything packed back into the helicopter and everyone loaded up, the Crew Chief and Loading Specialist quickly paced through the aircraft, checking every single possible point of failure on the internal cargo's straps to ensure it wouldn't move unless they wanted it to.

Luna took her seat towards the rear of the aircraft where it was easily the noisiest, the radial engine being located right above her, while the Admiral and Twilight took their seats near the cockpit. Luna enjoyed watching the crew of her aircraft work, it was incredible how quickly and fluidly they worked, shouting orders over the noise of the engines and rotors that Luna couldn't understand even though she was sitting a mere meter from them as they worked.

"If you're gonna sit here, Luna; put on a headset!" The Crew Chief of the aircraft yelled as he levitated the mentioned headset down from its place in the raw workings of the helicopter above Luna.

With her fairly uncomfortable headset slipped on, the noise of the aircraft became a muffled rumble, and the routine chatter from the cockpit became the main sound filling her ears. Luna watched as the Crew Chief gave the 'ok' to his Loading Specialist, who upon getting the 'ok' shuffled his way past the internal cargo towards the front of the helicopter, disappearing behind the pallets of boxes and the large fuel bladder. The Crew Chief leaned himself against the wall of the aircraft across from Luna, putting his own headset on as he adjusted the loading ramp of the helicopter through a small control panel to a position to where it was level with the floor instead of at a slight angle.

"We're all good back here, everyone."
The Crew Chief spoke, looking out the rear of the aircraft.

"Copy that, we're outta here." Responded the female voice of the Pilot, who just so happened to be the same Pilot Princess Luna had spoken to when her helicopter had been involved in an accident 3 weeks prior.

The vibration of the helicopter changed as pitch was added to the rotors, the ground slowly getting further away as the machine lifted from the snowy earth below. After the aircraft's nose dipped to send it forward, Luna was able to see the full landscape beyond the rear of the aircraft, the morning sun blinding her as it began to peek over the hills beyond.

"Greff, do you know how much time is left until we reach Stalliongrad?" Luna asked, addressing the Crew Chief by his callsign as she looked over to him.

Greff was an interesting fellow by name and by character. She had fully acquainted herself with him at the beginning of the journey and had grown quite fond of the young Stallion in a short time.

"Give or take another 13 hours, depends on how fast Pushy up there can fly." Responded Greff, mentioning the Pilot by her nickname.

"I think I can get a few more kilometers per hour out of this bird if we shed some weight... if you catch my drift, Greff." Came the voice of Pushy.

"You know, he has left the door to the helicopter open a bit, and I am currently in the rear of the aircraft with our Crew Chief" Luna spoke, looking to Greff with a grin.

"If Greff had wings I'd actually consider having you push him out. Eh, well... we're only at 25 meters AGL currently, and there's snow below... I bet he'd live."

Luna chuckled, looking to the outside of the aircraft at the forest whooshing past.

"You forgot the heavy forestation below, Pushy." Informed Luna.

"Trees are soft enough."

"1-2, adjust your heading to 340." Spoke the male voice of the Co-Pilot, Sliver, who was currently speaking to the other aircraft (the intercom system allowed for communication within the aircraft, but wasn't able to hear incoming transmissions or make transmissions to the outside without the channel being changed manually).

"Yeah, 340. We're holding that for the next while, so once we get to altitude just kick on your leveler (referring to a newer feature of the V-24, an inertial autopilot that kept the aircraft flying straight without any input) and relax until we hit the next waypoint."

There was a pause.

"Last I checked, yes." Said Sliver, his comms with the other aircraft being odd to listen to without the other side of the story.

"Here, take the stick for a second. I'm thirsty." Spoke Pushy.

"Roger, I got the stick."

Luna looked to the front of the aircraft as Pushy made her way past the cargo and to one of the several secured boxes of food and water that had been taken from their pallet and set aside for easier access. Pushy shouted something to Greff, who had to take his headset off to hear her. Once getting her message, Greff pointed to the box closest to the wall, which was then opened by Pushy's magic and a small bottle of whiskey taken from its contents.

"Why does everyone drink whiskey?" Luna inquired to Greff once he had re-secured his headset.

"Pushy's the only one in the crew that does... so I dunno what you're talking about."

"Well... Admiral Cloud Drop, from what I can tell, drinks nothing but that repulsive liquid, so it always seems that drink is constantly in my sight."

"Ha! I constantly tell Pushy that whiskey is terrible tasting, and now I have the word of Equestria's ruler to prove my case! Pushy, you back on comms?"

"No."

"Good, I got news. Even Princess Luna agrees that whiskey tastes terrible!"

"I said I wasn't on comms."

"Too bad, because you heard what I said."

"Oh man, I hate not being on the comms!"

Greff's remarks fell silent as he gave Luna a look.

"Whiskey does not taste very good, Ms. Pushy." Informed Luna with a grin.

"Hey, Sliver, tell everyone in the tail I'm not on comms right now."

"Pushy isn't on comms, guys."

Luna laughed as she watched Greff press his hoof to his face. If there was one thing Luna had been grateful of thus far in the trip it was the fact she had been assigned to a fun crew. The concept of nicknames, or as she had heard them referred to as; callsigns, was a curiosity to Luna. Thus far, she did not know the real names of any crew members aboard her aircraft other than the 3 Pegasi search team riding with them, who; thus far, had kept to themselves for the most part.

"Greff, that door still open back there?" Came Sliver's voice over the intercom.

"Yep. Just enjoying the view."

"Take a look to our 12 o'clock."

Greff complied, taking a small step and craning his head out of the aircraft to see what Sliver had mentioned.

"That looks like a storm." Commented Greff once he had pulled himself back inside.

"Yeah; and it's big. Button up and lock down back there because we're gonna try to fly through it. We have no idea how strong it is; we're too far from either Stalliongrad's Capital or Canterlot ATC to have them give us a reading."

"Copy that; we're closing shop."

Luna watched as Greff reached up to the control panel near the loading ramp and hit a square button with a large white arrow pointing up to indicate it was to raise the ramp fully. He took his headset off and began double checking every strap on the internal cargo loads and securing the few boxes that had been allowed to stay loose for easy access during the flight. With everything secured, Greff moved to the nose of the aircraft and sat down in the seat beside the helicopter's right cargo door. Luna, feeling a little lonely, removed her headset and followed suit, the intense noise of the aircraft being quite shocking without her headset.

She took her seat in between Cloud Drop and Twilight, who were located on the right side of the aircraft; the search team and the Loading Specialist all sitting to the left. Luna instantly took notice that the Loading Specialist wasn't currently sitting in the seat beside the left loading door, and wasn't using his headset. She was quick to take advantage of the larger window and the opportunity to be able to speak with the aircraft's crew once more.

"Being inside these things without anything covering your ears sucks, doesn't it?" Greff commented over the intercom as he noticed Luna's change of seat.

"Indeed."

Greff stood up, stepping to the cockpit entrance to get a view out the front of the helicopter.

"You're really gonna have us fly through that?" He asked.

"We'll try. If things are gonna be too rough, we'll fly back out of it and land." Pushy responded.

"You know... that is a great picture... hold on a second."

Luna's eyes were drawn towards the underneath of Greff's seat as he levitated a small black bag with a shoulder strap from the darkness of the floor, the bag containing several lenses, spare film rolls, and a very expensive camera. With the camera taken from its place the bag and draped around Greff's neck via a lanyard, he took a step back from the door and raised the camera to his eye with his magic, turning the camera on its side.

"Pushy, Sliver, look back here and give me a smile."

The two Pilots complied, and after a second of adjusting things on the camera, there was a blinding flash.

"Perfect."

The Pilots turned back, and Greff went back to fiddling with his camera so that he may take more photos.

"Next time you have us pose with the flash on, remind me to put on my aviators." Commented Sliver.

"They'll cause too much glare. Besides, I wanna see those pretty blue eyes of yours, Sliver!" Poked Greff, a grin on his face as he sat back down, the camera still floating in his magic as he continued fiddling with the many analog nobs and switches.

"You always use monochrome film, you can't even tell my eyes are blue in the pictures."
Sliver added flatly.

"It's the thought that counts."

After a moment's more fiddling, Greff turned to the door beside him and slid open the large, roller mounted window to allow his camera to get an un-obstructed view of what lay ahead.

"Pushy, can I ask a favor?"

"Do you want me to turn the helicopter so you can get a better picture?"

"Y-yeah... turn the helicopter."

"1-2, ignore our movement. Adjusting to 320; Photography in progress." Said Sliver to inform the other aircraft, which Luna was finally able to see. It was flying parallel to them a good 50 meters away.

The world outside the aircraft rotated as the machine banked slightly, Luna seeing that the other aircraft was slowly getting further away after the helicopter had leveled out.

"Alright, I got the shot." Greff spoke as he brought the camera back inside and closed the window.

"Roger that, adjusting heading back to 340."

After a few maneuvers, the helicopter was back to where it had been previously in relation to the second aircraft of the flight. Luna leaned herself forward to look through the cockpit of the helicopter at the storm they were flying into.

"You are sure we will be safe flying into such conditions?" She asked, slight worry hanging on her voice.

"If you're worried about wind and snow crashing the helicopter; don't worry. If it's too severe, we'll simply turn around. It's funny, a few days ago I would have been worried about flying into snow after what happened to Celestia, but apparently, that whole thing was a lie." Pushy spoke, chuckling towards the end of her sentence.

"If the crash was faked, then why didn't Night Flight and Silver Wing survive?" Came the voice of Sliver, who had known both Aviators involved in the 'accident'.

"Because the crash was not faked, Sliver. The aircraft was struck by a bolt of energy that passed through the engine and the cockpit, which killed Night Flight instantly. The helicopter hit the ground, Celestia exited, and the wreckage exploded, killing Silver Wing."
Somberly explained Luna.

"Oh. I just don't understand why they had to die. It would have been easier if they had just landed the helicopter and taken Celestia."

"I asked the Admiral about that a while back, and he informed me the reason the decision to do what they did was to make everything as real as possible. Without the crash, and the actual bodies of the pilots, the New Order's idea was that too many would become suspicious."

"Princess Luna, promise me something." Sliver spoke, his voice holding a tone of anger.

"Yes?"

"When we finally bring this whole New Order thing to its knees, let me hit Professor Star Yield once right in the face before you remove that mind control spell."

Luna chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't mind doing so myself. I suppose I can let such a thing happen. I still remember as if it were yesterday going to those houses and telling loved ones their partner was never to return home."

"That's why I'm staying single until I get out of the service." Came a remark from Pushy.

"I doubt that's the only reason." Added Greff snarkily.

"You're in no place to talk, Greff. I know you're still single for other reasons as well."

The conversation was cut off as the helicopter hit a bump in the air, rising then quickly dropping back down with a clunk. They had begun to enter the storm.

"Oh boy, here we go." Greff spoke, leaning to look out his window.

Luna's eye was caught by Twilight, she had her hoof waving in the air to draw attention to herself.

"Yes, Twilight?!" Yelled Princess Luna once she had taken off her headset.

"Why are we flying into that storm ahead?!"

"It is much faster if we go through it than if we were to wait! The Pilot has told me if it is too rough, we will turn around and wait for the storm to pass!"

Twilight looked out her window nervously.

"They're sure that's safe!?!"

"They know best!"

With that, Luna put her headset back on so she may resume talking with the crew.

"1-2, drop speed to 140 knots, I don't want to haul into this thing, over" Pushy spoke.

There was a pause.

"Wilco."

Luna felt the aircraft tilt back a bit in order to gain altitude. She assumed the other aircraft had suggested the altitude adjustment.

"What does 'Wilco' mean?" Asked Luna.

"It's short for 'will comply'. you'll notice a lot more things like that the more you listen to us when we actually talk with other aircraft."

Looking out the window, Luna was able to see snow whizzing by, the sky outside becoming darker as they traveled into the bank of deep gray clouds and thick snowfall.

"Getting nervous?" Greff asked, Luna turning to see him looking at her with a raised brow.

"Not particularly. I have confidence in our pilot's abilities."

"You're too sweet, Princess." Sliver's voice spoke.

As the aircraft went further into the storm, the air became more and more turbulent, shaking the helicopter about as if it weighed nothing. Luna's eyes were drawn to Twilight, who looked particularly terrified.

"Not holding up too well, Ms. Sparkle?!" Luna yelled after removing her headset.

"This is crazy, Luna! I don't understand why we would fly into a storm this bad!" Twilight returned with distraught.

"Is this your first time flying?!"

"Basically, yes! But that has nothing to do with the fact that we shouldn't be flying into this storm!"

Suddenly, the aircraft jumped what felt like 2 meters in the air and then promptly dropped back down with a thud, the drop being so great that everyone except for the pilots felt weightless for a moment. Twilight's expression was one of both terror and anger.

"Do you see, Luna?! We shouldn't be flying in the kind of weather!" She exclaimed.

Luna couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"We will be fine!"

With that, she put her headset back on.

"I take it she's nervous." Calmly spoke Greff.

"Nervous would be quite the understatement."

The front door of Valinka and Pavel's home opened with a creak, the figure of Pavel dressed in heavy brown and green winter clothing dusting himself of snow and ice as he stepped inside, a flurry of snowflakes blowing in behind him. It was currently just a little past sunrise, Pavel had spent the night hiking to the radio tower to make the call to the base; why he had gone in the night instead of waiting till day was beyond Celestia, but Pavel felt it was best to get the call out as soon as possible.

"Привет, Селестия."
(Greetings, Celestia.) Spoke Pavel with a sigh as he lazily sat himself down in the arm chair adjacent to the couch.

"Удалось ли вам установить контакт с военной базы?"
(Were you able to make contact with the military base?) Asked Celestia, perking up from her slouched position.

"Да, через некоторое время я был. Проблема заключается в том, что будет еще дня, пока вертолет не будет в состоянии сделать это здесь. Тот, как правило, размещены на военной базе был отправлен обратно в Москву, чтобы иметь какие-то обновления установленного, так что это займет их дня, чтобы послать вертолет здесь."
(Yes, after a while I was. Problem is it will be another day until a helicopter will be able to make it here. The one usually stationed at the military base was sent back to the Capital to have some kind of upgrade fitted, so it'll take them an extra day to send a helicopter up here.) Explained the out of breath Pavel.

"Я знаю, что я сказал спасибо много раз, но еще раз; Павел, спасибо, что нашли время, чтобы путешествовать пешком до радио и позвать на помощь. Вы не упомянули меня по имени, не так ли?"
(I know I have said thank you many times, but once more; Pavel, thank you so much for taking your time to hike up to the radio and call for help. You didn't mention me by name, did you?)

"Нет, я не сделал. Я просто сказал, что есть кто-то нуждается в медицинской помощи."
(No, I didn't. I simply said that there is someone in need of medical care.)

"Замечательно. Я уверен, если бы вы использовали мое имя, было бы вертолет с Star Yield и моя сестра будет посадка здесь в течение следующих 3-х часов."
(Wonderful. I am sure if you would have used my name, there would be a helicopter with Star Yield and my sister would be landing here in the next 3 hours.) Celestia spoke with a sigh of relief.

Pavel clicked his tongue, slowly shaking his head side to side.

"Должно быть страшно иметь кого-то вы любите пытается выследить вас и вы убили."
(It must be terrible having someone you love trying to hunt you down and have you killed.)

Celestia gave a chuckle.

"Это боль, которую вы не можете себе представить. Я был жив 1792 ... нет ... 1793 лет ... и я никогда не был так подчеркнуто. Я не могу перестать думать о том, как в мире, я должен это исправить."
(It's a pain you cannot imagine. I have been alive for 1,792... no... 1,793 years... and I have never been so stressed. I can't stop thinking of how in the world I'm supposed to fix this.)

"После того, как в живых так долго, все той мудрости и знания в этом сознании ваша должна быть в состоянии придумать что-нибудь."
(After being alive for so long, all of that wisdom and knowledge in that mind of yours should be able to come up with something.)

Celestia let out a sigh, her head drooping.

"Даже если мне удастся расформировать все, с ума организацией, которая Луна создала, как я буду когда-нибудь сделать ее нормальным снова? В последний раз она сделала это, она была передана ее собственной ревности и hatered и это изменило как ее ум и внешность ... но это не так, как это на этот раз. Она ... как-то, чисто ненавидит меня. Я ... Я знаю, что я испортил целую тысячу лет своей жизни и заставил ее иметь такую ужасную репутацию с жителями Эквестрии ... но она и я были так счастливы вместе в течение последних 3-х лет. После того, как я удалил Nightmare Moon от нее, все пошло нормально. Я всегда знал, что она будет иметь некоторое чувство обиды и гнева осталось ... но ... почему она действует так счастлива в течение полных 3-х лет? W-то, что просто вернуться на меня?"
(Even if I manage to disband whatever crazy organization that Luna has built up, how will I ever make her normal again? The last time she did this she had been taken over by her own jealousy and hatered and it altered both her mind and physical appearance... but that's not how it is this time. She... somehow, purely hates me. I... I know I ruined an entire thousand years of her life... and I changed how the eyes of history saw her, but she and I were so happy together for the last 3 years. Once Nightmare Moon was ripped from her mind things went back to normal. I always knew she would have some resentment and left over anger... but... why did she act so happy for a full 3 years? W-was that just to get back at me?) She explained, almost of the verge of tears.

Pavel couldn't find words to respond, he only could sit and listen to Celestia's worries and lamentations.

"Как сумасшедший, как я за то, что она сделала ... Я скучаю по ней. Я скучаю по т-по утрам, когда я просыпался право, как она готовилась ко сну, а также со-we'd и быть судимым ... Я бы стоять в час-дверном проеме с моим кофе во время s-она получила сама готова к постели... Это не кажется, что я буду когда-либо иметь эти моменты с ней снова ... Я не буду J-просто моя сестра."
(As mad as I am for what she's done... I miss her. I miss t-the mornings when I'd wake up right as she was getting ready for bed, and w-we'd both be tried... I'd stand at h-her doorway with my coffee while s-she got herself ready for bed... i-it doesn't seem like I'll ever have those moments with her again... I won't ever again h-have my sister.)

Celestia's emotions got the best of her as the tears she had been trying so hard to hold back began flowing, her chest heaving and breath faltering as she turned her head away from Pavel, who was even more at a loss of words now.

"I w-wish none of t-this was real..." She cried to herself, doing her best to try and suppress her tears.

"Я не знаю, как, Селестия, но вы найдете способ сделать все, что между вами и Луна снова нормальной. Вы сделали это один раз, вы можете сделать это снова."
(I don't know how, Celestia, but you'll find a way to make everything between you and Luna normal again. You did it once, you can do it again.)
Pavel consoled, trying his best to help in any way.

Celestia didn't respond, her head still turned away as she wept quietly. She turned her head up, using her magic to bring the blanket lain across her body to her eyes to wipe away her tears, sniffling as she did.

"Я с-очень жаль ... Я ... Я держал в большом количестве этого ..."
(I'm s-sorry... I... I have been holding in a lot of this...) Quietly spoke Celestia as she continued to regain her composure.

"Не извиняйся, Celestia. Сохраняя свои эмоции, проводимых внутри не хороший способ иметь дело с вещами."
(Don't apologize, Celestia. Keeping your emotions held inside isn't a good way to deal with things.)

"Я знаю ... но имея эмоциональный перерыв вниз один раз в день становится утомительным очень быстро."
(I know... but having an emotional break down once a day gets tiring very quickly.) She spoke with a sniffle.

"Я просто понял, где Valinka?"
(I just realized, where is Valinka?) Inquired Pavel as he looked around the home, his view moving from the room that branched from the living room to the kitchen, then lastly to the stairs.

"Вверх по лестнице. Она поднялась, чтобы иметь душ несколько минут, прежде чем вернулся домой. Я хотел спросить, я буду быть переданы в ту клинику Valinka упомянул, или я остаюсь здесь, так как вертолет не будет прибывать в ближайшее время?"
(Upstairs. She went up to have a shower a few minutes before you got home. I've been meaning to ask, am I going to be transferred to that clinic Valinka has mentioned, or am I staying here since the helicopter won't be arriving soon?)

"Я думаю, что Valinka бы гораздо скорее вы идете в клинику. Они лучше оснащены, чтобы заботиться о вас."
(I think Valinka would much rather have you go to the clinic. They're better equipped to care for you.)

"Мы не собираемся идти вниз по улице, чтобы попасть туда, мы?"
(We're not going to walk down the street to get there, are we?) Asked Celestia with a smile.

Pavel gave a light chuckle.

"Нет, вовсе нет. Делать это будет идеальный способ привлечь слишком много внимания. У меня есть крытый вагон, что я могу взять вас в. Это маленький ... для вас, но это короткая поездка. Я не могу ждать, чтобы увидеть, что сотрудники клиники думают, когда они видят вас."
(No, not at all. Doing that would be the perfect way to attract too much attention. I have a covered wagon that I can take you in. It's small... for you, but it's a short ride. I can't wait to see what the staff of the clinic think when they see you.) Smiled Pavel.

"Скорее всего, тот же взгляд Valinka дал мне, когда она увидела меня переступая через вашего заборчиком во дворе позади вашего дома."
(Most likely the same look Valinka gave me when she saw me stepping over your picket fence in the yard behind your home.)
Celestia spoke with some cheer, her mood slightly improved.

"Это действительно, как вы пришли в наш дом? Вы блуждали в нашем заднем дворе?"
(Is that really how you came into our house? You were wandering around in our back yard?)

"Да, это действительно так, как я нашел свой дом, в частности. Я посмотрел из случайно увидеть Valinka смотрит на меня через окно кухни, ее выражением чистого замешательства и шока. Я наслаждался весь Senario, на начальном этапе."
(Yes, indeed it is how I found your home in particular. I looked over out of chance to see Valinka looking at me through the window of the kitchen, her expression pure confusion and shock. I enjoyed the whole senario, initially.)

The two shared a laugh for a moment before the sounds of hoofsteps coming down the stairs drew both Celestia's and Pavel's attention to Valinka, who's rear end and mane were wrapped in towels

"Получили ли вы до основания?"
(Did you get through to the base?) She asked, stopping at the base of the stairs.

"Да, но можно скорее они могут получить вертолет, чтобы помочь 2 дня."
(Yes, but the soonest they can get a helicopter up to help is 2 days.)

Valinka clicked her tongue.

"Это не очень хорошо, чтобы не сказать больше. Ну, Селестия; так как вы будете находиться в нашем городе в течение еще 2 дней, вы хотите, чтобы остаться в нашем доме или у Павла, и я стараюсь, чтобы заставить вас в клинике?"
(That is unfortunate, to say the least. Well, Celestia; since you'll be staying in our town for another 2 days, do you want to stay in our home or have Pavel and I try to get you to the clinic?)

Celestia looked to the floor in thought.

"Могу ли я остаться здесь еще на один день? Мне здесь нравится, и я люблю, тебя и Павла в компании."
(Can I stay here for another day? I like it here, and I like having you and Pavel as company.)

Valinka laughed.

"Вы спрашиваете, если это нормально, если вы останетесь, как будто вы вторгаясь! Да, Селестия, конечно, вы можете отдохнуть здесь еще на один день. Если вам нужно, чтобы остаться в течение целого месяца, что было бы хорошо с нами обоими."
(You ask if it is alright if you stay as if you are intruding! Yes, Celestia, of course you can rest here for another day. If you need to stay for an entire month, that would be fine with the both of us.)

"Я не знаю об этом. Я своего рода пропустил мой диван."
(I don't know about that. I kind of miss my couch.) Joked Pavel with a smile.

Valinka reached across with a hoof and smacked the back of his head.

"У вас есть кресло, вы ленивы жеребец!"
(You have an armchair, you lazy Stallion!) She returned, turning and stepping back upstairs to finish her shower.

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 22: Welcome To Stalliongrad

Star Yield dusted his heavy-duty winter boots off on the doorstop of a fairly makeshift structure, the small rectangular building being made of pre-built wood frames covered with sheets of plywood with insulation in between.

"Welcome back, Mr. Yield. From your smile, I take it the, uh... 'meeting' with President Mikhail went according to plan." The Commanding Officer of the Forward Operating Base Star Yield was currently at spoke upon seeing Star walk in.

"Indeed, it went well! Mikhail now has the aura, he will be seeing to it that all of the Stalliongradian military will be informed properly of the plan we devised, and will have 15 helicopters as well as 50 airborne search teams in the air assisting what little we have in the next 6 hours. Things are looking up." Responded Star Yield as he sat himself down at one of the desks in the building, the little structure being one of a couple liaison facilities of the base.

"With a full 3 days left until the lunar eclipse, we should have enough time to find her and transport her all the way to the Everfree forest."
Commented the Commanding Officer, whose attention was to the documents before him.

"I think we need to have search teams visit all of those little towns and villages up north. Celestia isn't in the best condition, and she's smart; so it's pretty safe to say her first step would be getting to some kind of town to recover for a while." explained Star.

The Officer hummed. "That's a good point. I'll have that put into action."

The conversation went quiet as Gate went back to writing, the sounds of his pen scratching on the paper and the light hum of a heater being the only sounds left. Trying to get Celestia all the way back into Equestria and then all the way into the Everfree forest to the ruins of the ancient Castle of Two Sisters was going to be quite the task; a time-consuming one at that.

The Castle of Two Sisters was almost as important in the process of erasing Celestia's mind as Celestia herself was. The Castle had deep magical ties with the land around it, and without these ties performing the complex set of spells to accomplish what thousands had worked for years to set up and execute would almost certainly fail. It could, in theory, be done elsewhere with similar magical bonds with the environment, but no place else in all of Equestria has such an intensely woven fabric of magic with the land around it; meaning the spell must be worked in the ruins of the castle.

Star had realized how inaccurate the statement 'we have 3 days left until the lunar eclipse' actually was; it was more like 2 to 1 days. Once captured, Celestia would have to be moved a full 800 kilometers south, and doing so in any short time would be difficult, even with the fastest helicopter.

"Have any of the teams we have deployed reported finding any evidence of Celestia, at least?" Star asked.

"Yes, actually. A burnt out campfire site was found approximately 10 miles due north of that house you kept her in, but the team said the fireplace had been there for a good 2 to 3 days. We've extended the searches to the north, which... why would she go north and not south as we anticipated her going? Anyway, the search has moved north. Ah, something to note..." Responded Gate as he stood from his desk, stepping to a map of the region tacked to the wall behind him.

"Here's where the found that campsite," Gate pointed to a red circle with an arrow pointing to the north on the map, "And look what's just 25 to 30 miles perfectly north of that site", his hoof moved up the map to a town, large gray letters spelling 'TISY' written over the simple diagram of the town.

"A town! So, you think she's there?"

"She'd have to be. Why would she go north 10 miles, stop and make a fire, then go another direction? It's pretty obvious she was navigating, there's no way she was able to go perfectly north by accident."

"The question still remains... why north?"

"Trying to throw us off? Or it could be that for the last 2 weeks or so Luna had been bringing the sun up the wrong direction. I think it's funny that it took everyone so long to actually inform her the sun was broken. I'd be willing to bet she was using the sun as a navigational tool... but it just doesn't make sense for her to follow it north. She's been raising it for over a thousand years, but wasn't able to see that it was coming up in the wrong direction?"

"Eh... well, she had no reference. If Celestia had been at the castle, or near some kind of recognized landmark, then she'd probably notice right away, but she was in the middle of the forest. She'd have no idea."

Lieutenant Colonel Gate was about to respond to Star's statement when the door of the liaison building was flung open, an excited soldier bursting in.

"Sir! A Stalliongradian base up north said they got a distress call from a town called Tisy saying they needed a helicopter to extract someone severely wounded! They think it's Celestia!"

Both Gate's and Star Yield's view instantly went to the map they had just been discussing.

"It's her! She just signed her own death certificate!" Exclaimed Star as he quickly stood from his chair.

"Corporal, go and have every helicopter spun up and have all of 47th Platoon meet me here immediately!" exclaimed the Officer.

The soldier gave a firm salute, sprinting out of the building.

"Oh, when we finally find Celestia I am going to ensure that the rest of her life is pure agony!" Angrily commented Star as he walked to the door of the liaison building, magic assisting him in putting his heavy boots back on.

After only 30 minutes, all of the Equestrian Royal Air Guard helicopters available at the base were completely fueled and ready to depart, each aircraft carrying 3 teams of 4 soldiers, the teams consisting of 3 Unicorns and a single Pegasus. In total, 5 aircraft would be dropping off 60 soldiers into the small town of Tisy, 55 of them well trained in Military grade spells. After looking at a detailed topographical maps of the town Tisy, landing locations for each aircraft were chosen, and a plan was drawn up: 2 aircraft would land in the small field behind the town's hospital so that its chalk could search the building, and the other 3 would attempt to land in the middle of the town's main road to offload each of their 3 teams.

Once every soldier was on the ground, the 5 aircraft would take back to the skies and begin flying a search pattern in and around the city, and since they would be arriving in the dead of the night, the aimable searchlights built into the nose of every helicopter would be extremely effective in trying to see Celestia in case she tried running instead of hiding. The whole operation required precision and speed; it was almost surgical in manner. It was the first time something of its caliber had been attempted; thus far, the helicopter had been a tool not used for any type of combat, it was purely a logistical tool up until this point.

Lieutenant Colonel Gate had pointed out to Star Yield that the operation they had planned was absolutely the first of its kind, one that would most likely start a new way of thinking towards the helicopters that had been so underutilized in any Military that operated the machines.

"Star Yield, get your coat on; we're getting airborne." Spoke Gate as he peeked his head through the doorway of the small liaison building, the noise of 5 helicopters pouring in through the door.

Star stood up from his seat and swiftly put his winter coat back on, walking out the door and following Gate through the base to the aircraft staging area.

"We will be getting there at night, right?!" Called Star over the noise of the aircraft.

"Yes! We should hit the town at around 2200 hours!"

Star Yield had to pause and think, converting the strange 24-hour time format over into the 12 hour time he was used to.

"So... we're looking at a 5-hour flight?!"

"That's correct! Alright, Star, we're riding in the aircraft to the far left!" Lieutenant Colonel Gate shouted as they rounded a bend in the make-shift road of the military base, the road flanked by dirt-filled barriers.

"What!?!" Star yelled in return.

"Just follow me!!"

The two quickly moved across the unpaved staging area, the incredible wind from the 5 helicopters kicking up every bit of snow in the area; which made anything more than a squint impossible without goggles. Upon reaching their assigned helicopter, the right side door was slid open, one of the soldiers inside helping them up into the cabin, promptly shutting the door behind them. Star Yield and Sate sat themselves down in 2 of the 4 remaining seats in the cabin, the helicopter's internal volume not being all that great. Lieutenant Colonel Gate tapped Star's shoulder, holding up a headset in his hoof.

"Not the most comfortable things, are they?" Gate spoke once Star had gotten his headset on, but was still fidgeting around with it to try and find the most comfortable position for the item.

"No, it's not." Responded Star as he continued his adjustments.

"Welcome aboard, Mr. Star. I assume you've been caught up with the plan?" Spoke the Pilot, causing Star Yield to turn and look to the cockpit to see the Pilot looking back at him.

"Yes, I am aware of our plan."

"Ah, good. I hope you've got a good pair of eyes on ya, because we'll need you to help in spotting Celestia if she tries running out of that town. The view from this cockpit is sorta limited."

"I think I can help with that. If you hold the helicopter steady enough, I might just be able to hit her with an incapacitation spell from here."
Star Yield commented as he looked out the large, rectangular window of the sliding door.

"Not too bad of an idea. Also, I suggest you put a seatbelt on if you don't have it on already; we're gonna be doing some fancy flying for a while to get there quicker."

"Just don't hit anything."

"And if you'll look to our left, you'll see the Capital of Stalliongrad, along with the Kremlin." Jokingly spoke Pushy over the intercom system of the aircraft.

The pair of aircraft began banking into a left-hand turn over the city, their altitude dropping ever so slightly as the pair began to approach the Central Kremlin Aerodrome, which was partly built off of the Kremlin.

"Kremlin Aerodrome, flight of 2 requesting immediate permission to land. This is an emergency; Princess Luna is on board and we need to see President Mikhail as soon as possible." Spoke Sliver, his voice calm yet urgent.

There was the typical pause.

"Roger, landing pad 2L."

The aircraft leveled out, but still continued to lose altitude as they began to approach the Aerodrome.

"Where are the other 4 aircraft of our flight heading?" Asked Luna.

"They're all moving directly into the forest to start searching. We're the only ones landing here." Responded Sliver.

"Since we are within the Stalliongradian borders, and there is a well-established communications network here, can we make contact with that flight?"

"Probably, yes. Why, do you have something to tell them?"

"No, I was simply wondering."

Luna turned her attention back out her window to look at the large Aerodrome below, her attention being caught by what looked like a great number of personnel moving towards 2 specific landing pads.

"Is it normal for so many individuals move to the landing pad in preparation for a helicopter to land?" Asked Luna.

No response came for a moment.

"No... no it's not. They aren't ground crew, they're soldiers. Your Highness, I feel we might have a problem here."

"What's going on?" Greff asked, standing up from his seat and walking to the left side of the helicopter and looking out the window of the sliding loading door.

"There's a large formation of troops moving to greet us when we land." Answered Sliver.

Luna felt a knot tie in her stomach.

"I think Star Yield might have gotten to Mikhail before us." She spoke nervously, beginning to take her headset off.

"Admiral, when we created this plan, what is the possibility those in the room reported our plan to Star Yield?!" Shouted Luna over the noise of the aircraft.

"I don't know... why?!"

"Because a worryingly large number of Stalliongradian soldiers are converging on the landing pads to greet us!"

Cloud Drop stood from his seat, moving to the left side of the aircraft as well. Luna had also noticed that the other crew member and the three rescue team members were looking out their windows. Luna quickly put her headset back on.

"Bring the helicopter to a halt! Tell the other aircraft in our flight to do the same!"

"Roger that." Responded Pushy, the instant she spoke the helicopter pulling up hard to cancel all forward movement.

"Is there any way for you to alter the intercom to where I can speak with the ground controllers?"

"Yeah, I'll change the channel for you," there was a moment's pause, "Alright, I'll hold the transmit button, you say what you need to."

"Ground controller, this is Princess Luna, I request to know why you are amassing so many troops on our landing position!"

"Princess, please have your flight land." Spoke the female on the other end, Luna being slightly surprised she spoke Equestrian so fluently.

"I am not having this helicopter land until you explain to me why so many troops are organizing below!"

"Princess, you have no other choice than to land. If your aircraft turn away, we are authorized to have you shot down. We know you are looking for Princess Celestia."

The knot in Luna's stomach became tighter.

"You must listen to me, myself or those onboard this aircraft have had nothing to do with what has happened to my sister! I believe the one who was been behind this plot spoke with President Mikhail and lied to him about what is actually going on, we are trying to save Celestia, not harm her!" Luna shouted with urgency.

"Princess Luna, have your aircraft land." Sternly returned the female air controller.

Luna paused, thinking over the choices she had.

"Luna, can't you form a force field around our aircraft?" Asked Greff.

"Around a moving object of this size? Not at all... not at all."

Luna sighed heavily.

"Land the helicopter. I have a plan; once we touch down, everyone except myself will exit. Once our sister aircraft has landed, I will form a force field around both aircraft; and everyone will stay aboard, no matter what! I'm going to try and get myself to President Mikhail, if I can get so much as 2 meters from him I can remove the Aura." She explained.

"Roger that, Luna." Pushy said nervously, beginning to maneuver the helicopter to land.

"1-2, Luna's got a plan. We're landing, but the second you touch down keep all the doors closed and do not leave the helicopter, she's going to put a force field around both our choppers and try to remove that mind control spell thing from the President."

"Copy that, 1-1." Spoke a previously unheard male voice of the pilot of the second aircraft, Luna having never heard any of their communications because the intercom was set to exclude any outside chatter.

"Let me talk with the ground controller once more."

"Alright, you're good, start talkin'."

"This is Princess Luna, I wish for your President to meet our aircraft once we land so I may speak with him to get this issue sorted out."

No response came for a while, the ground getting closer and closer as they landed, Luna shifting in her seat nervously as she saw all of the soldiers below; each a unicorn with the ability to single-handedly shoot down both helicopters in rapid succession. Any wrong move on her part might be the end.

"You will be taken to Mikhail. I don't want you hurt, your Highness, so comply with everything the soldiers say."

"Miss, please tell the soldiers on the ground that the crew aboard each helicopter has nothing to do with any of this, and should not be detained."

Once again, there was a pause.

"They will remain in their seats, and your aircraft will be boarded." Spoke the Controller

"That is fine, just... do not harm any of my friends and colleagues."

Suddenly, there was a thud, Luna looking out her window to see they had touched down on the landing pad, a voluminous halo of white dust surrounding the aircraft, the bulky uniforms of the soldiers surrounding the helicopter whipping in the downdraft of the rotors.

"Alright, there has been a change of plans, everyone! I will be taken to Mikhail, and the Stalliongradian soldiers will be boarding the helicopter, so I want you to do whatever they say!" Luna shouted after taking off her headset.

"Princess, what's happening?" Asked Twilight, fear and confusion very evident in her expression.

"Most likely Star Yield knew what our plan was and got to President Mikhail before we could."

"But... how can he know what you came up with?"

"There are almost 3 thousand ponies in the New Order, and almost every one of them is in a Government or Military position within the Equestrian Government. It is not surprising that someone in the room was still part of the New Order without us knowing; I still have no way of detecting whether someone has it or not."

"Aircraft on landing pad 2L! Lower the rear door of your helicopter!" Echoed a male voice with an accent over what sounded like a loudspeaker.

There was a mechanical whir as the hydraulics began to move the door down, a good 15 soldiers all with their horns aimed into the cabin visible as well as a Unicorn with a megaphone standing besides three Officers, their highly official looking uniforms, the insignia on their hats, and the many other ordainments on their figures showing their seniority.

"Princess Luna, step outside! You will follow the three Officers standing outside!" Spoke the Unicorn with the megaphone.

Luna looked around at everyone aboard the helicopter, their eyes all focused on her.

"Your Highness, be careful. If Star Yield did get to Mikhail first, then he didn't tell him anything good." The Admiral spoke, his voice holding a weight of concern.

She took a deep breath, sighing nervously as she walked to the rear of the helicopter, stopping right at the end of the loading ramp.

"I am to be taken to Mikhail, and not detained for what you were told I have done to my sister, correct?" Luna called.

The Unicorn turned to the three and began translating what she had said.

"You are to be taken to Mikhail, yes. Now, as I said, please go with the three Officers." Responded the Unicorn after being spoken to by the other three Officers.

"Before I do, you must listen to me; if your Officers are going to have me detained instead of directly taking me to President Mikhail to speak with him, you will be signing the fate of Princess Celestia, for she will be re-captured by the one organizing all of this, not myself!"

The Unicorn translated her words, upon hearing what she had said there was a short conversation between the three Officers.

"You keep mentioning some other party involved in this plot against Princess Celestia, and you keep saying you have nothing to do with it. Who is this other party?"

"The New Order, to be exact. Star Yield, the head Spellwork for the Equestrian Royal Guard and former Head of Magic at Celestia's School of Magic, is the mind behind this organization, and I believe he has made contact with President Mikhail and given him a special mind control spell a thousand years old called the Aura. Star Yield is using your President to get help searching for my sister, which is what I have come to do; ask for help. You must understand, sir; if we do not get to my sister before Star Yield does, it will be the end of her life and the end of the day as we know it. He wants to use my sister's body as a vessel to bring back Nightmare Moon!"

As the Unicorn translated, the three Officers shared a look between themselves upon hearing Luna's words, peering back to the frightened Princess with skeptical looks. Their conversation continued; their exact thoughts unclear to Luna.

"What does Star Yield look like?" Inquired the Unicorn upon being spoken to by the Officers.

"He is a Unicorn... with a, uh... a light brown coat, his mane and tail a kind of goldish color." Luna stumbled, trying to draw a mental picture of him.

Once more, much conversation occurred between the four; the three main Officers occasionally looking to Luna during their speech. It was very difficult to tell, but Luna was beginning to think they might just be listening to what she was saying.

"What are your intentions behind meeting the President?" Finally spoke the Unicorn.

"I wish to remove the mind control spell I mentioned earlier from President Mikhail; I am most certain he has been given it. It will not cause him pain, and it will not cause him to go unconscious. The only known side effect from the removal of the spell is acute memory loss of any recent events."

Once more, the explanation was given to the three Officers who resumed talking amongst themselves. Luna watched as the Officer to the far left peered at the middlemost Officer after having said something. After a little explaining, the far left Officer seemed satisfied.

"You will, as we have told you, be taken to see Mikhail, but you must have your magic disabled until we feel it is safe. You will be escorted by the three Officers as well as 4 extra soldiers who will shoot you if you do anything other than what you've said. Is this understood?" The Unicorn informed solidly.

Luna felt her heart skip a beat, her legs shaking even more than they had been a moment ago.

"Y-yes... I understand."

Luna turned her head to look into the cabin of the helicopter; Cloud Drop and Twilight both looking at her with concern.

"Now!" Shouted the Unicorn, causing Luna to jump.

"Y-yes, right! I am going." She stuttered, quickly moving down the loading ramp.

One of the three stopped Luna after she had walked a little further onto the tarmac, a specially built ring used for cutting off a Unicorn's ability to manipulate magic being held in the Officer's red aurora. Luna took a breath as he slid the ring down to the very base of her horn; she was now at the will of the three Officers.

As the group moved Luna began looking around the large Aerodrome, her eyes going from the helicopter she had arrived on to the second aircraft of the flight, which also had it's rear gate lowered and a large squad surrounding it. Looking behind herself, she was able to see the four soldiers escorting her as well as the Unicorn who had been translating, his megaphone no longer floating in his magic. Luna locked eyes with the Stallion for a split second before she quickly turned back around.

"Try not to do anything out of the ordinary, Princess. I know you're nervous, but so are we."

"You should have no reason to be nervous. I now pose no more threat than any regular Pegasus." She spoke, her voice shaky.

After a long walk, the group came to a pair of doors that lead into the huge building that was the Kremlin. The Officer in front of Luna opened both doors with his magic, walking in and waiting once every person in the group had entered before closing the door. Luna nervously watched as the three Senior Officers turned and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

"Remove your coat, pants, and boots, please." Spoke the Unicorn, he and the four escort soldiers standing back a bit.

"W-why?"

"You are being searched. Remove your coat, pants, and boots."

Luna began to clumsily remove her thick, black coat, the piece being made of pure cotton. Once the coat was off, one of the Officers took it in his magic and began to search the coat's 4 external pockets and 2 larger internal pockets. With all four boots now fully taken off, Luna began taking off the dark gray utility pants she wore, leaving her with just her short sleeve undershirt and scarf. The Unicorn, who was not busy checking either of her clothing items, noticed the Princess's shining golden watch.

"That is quite the piece you have, your Highness." He spoke.

"Uh... w-wha... oh, my watch?" Responded Luna as she held up the hoof the mentioned timepiece was located on.

"May I see it?"

Luna paused.

"Do you wish for me to remove it?"

"If you would, please."

Luna reluctantly complied, carefully undoing the mechanical latch that held the watch to her hoof, the timepiece falling to the floor. The Unicorn took the watch in his magic, looking at it up close. Luna couldn't tell if he was simply curious about her watch or if he was searching it for something. Upon turning the watch over to look at it's back, the Unicorn paused.

"This has Prussian writing on it. Did you get this watch here?" He inquired, his tone a little more genial than it had been in their previous conversations.

"Um... yes, I got it from the Grand Bazaar a long time ago."

Luna's attention was temporarily taken away from the Unicorn as several items from her coat and pants pockets were floated into her view. They had found several heat packs, a flashlight, and a chocolate bar that she had forgotten to eat. There were a few words from the middlemost Officer of the group.

"You can take your items and put your clothes on." Translated the Unicorn, floating Luna's golden timepiece back to her.

Luna complied, trying her best to quickly re-add her coat, pants, and boots back to her figure. She listened intently as the three Officers spoke amongst themselves, Luna hearing the words 'Princess Luna' come from their speech several times. Her legs were shaking even more than they had been when she first stepped down the loading ramp of the helicopter, not having any idea what the three Senior Officers were saying was; to say the least, terrifying. She stood silently while the three Senior Officers continued speaking; eventually, they noticed she was finished dressing, and gave a few words to the Unicorn.

"Keep moving." He spoke solidly.

Luna complied, the group returning to the formation they had previously used.

"I heard the word Princess a second ago, are they talking about me?" Princess Luna nervously inquired to the Unicorn.

"Mind your own business." He responded sternly.

"May I at least know why I was searched so extensively? I have never carried any sort of weapon on my person."

"I assume you are uninformed of what charges have been placed upon you?"

Luna looked to the Unicorn with apprehension.

"Ch-Charges? I... I did not know I was wanted for crimes..." Shakily spoke the Princess.

"Yesterday the Equestrian Government, Stalliongradian Government, and the Governments of surrounding Nations were given the right to arrest you for Attempted Murder, Attempted Overthrowing of the Princess, and Treason. You are ext..."

"Treason and murder!? I... I have not committed any of those crimes! Sir, you must believe me!" Luna exclaimed in pure fear, stopping and turning to face the Unicorn, her sudden action causing the four escort soldiers to back up and take combat stances.

"Princess! Turn back around and keep walking!" Yelled the Unicorn.

From behind her came a shout from one of the Senior Officers, causing Luna to flip around in fright. There was a quick exchange of dialogue between the Senior Officers and the Unicorn, their gaze constantly resting upon Luna's fear-ridden expression. Her eyes darted from the three Senior Officers to the Unicorn and the four escort soldiers as she took a step back, her breathing quick. The only thought going through her mind was that she was about to have her life ended by the four escort soldiers, who were still aiming their horns directly at Luna's chest. Her gaze went to the middle Officer as he held up a hoof and calmly spoke to the group.

"He says to calm down, your Highness." Spoke the Unicorn, the four escort soldiers standing to his sides redirecting their horns from Luna's direction.

"I... h-how do you expect me to calm down after saying I am wanted by my home Nation and the Nation I am currently in for Treason, Murder and overthrowing my sister!?" The Princess exclaimed, her breathing still heavy.

The Unicorn translated her words; upon hearing his speech the three Senior Officers looked to Luna, their expressions giving the indication they felt slightly sorry for her. After a moment of complete silence, the middlemost Officer looked between his two comrades as he spoke, his words seeming to spark some curiosity with the two. Suddenly, the middlemost Officer's horn lit up; Luna feeling an electric sensation travel through her body to her horn as the magic inhibitor ring was removed, leaving Luna to look at the three Officers with both fear and confusion.

"W-why did this Officer remove the ring?" Luna stuttered, her words overlapping with the middle Senior Officer's as he spoke with his comrades.

"Senior Officer Ilya is proving a point; he asked if we were in the same position as you if we would try escaping." Spoke the Unicorn, confusion of his own showing through.

Luna's expression caught the attention of the middle Officer, who nodded to her and spoke.

"Senior Officer Ilya says they have decided to trust you since everything you have told them up to this point has matched perfectly with the story they've been given, and they think letting you see the President is the best choice."

There was a stutter from the Princess, the flurry of different thoughts and emotions in her mind rendered her speechless. For the last 15 minutes she had thought the Officers were speaking negatively of her, but now the translator says they are going to trust her?

"I can only thank these three for believing me. Tell them I am extremely grateful."

Just as it had been done many times before, the Unicorn turned to the three Senior Officers and explained things. There was much conversation between the three Officers, the vast majority of the words being questions asked to the middle Officer by those around him.

"Senior Officer Ilya wants to know if there is any way to know President Mikhail in under the control of this spell you mentioned."

"N-no... there isn't. The only way for us to know is if I attempt removing the spell. If he does not possess it; then nothing will happen."
Explained Luna.

"Then you understand that if President Mikhail is not under your mentioned spell, and you have lied to us, you will be imprisoned for your crimes and put to trial?" Questioned the Unicorn.

"Y-yes... I do." She spoke, a terrible feeling resting in her stomach.

There was an exchange between the Unicorn and the three Officers, their constant use of the words 'Princess Luna' and the skeptical looks still being given to her by the Officers causing Luna much concern.

"M-may I please know what they are saying, Sir?" Luna stuttered to the Unicorn.

"The Senior Officers agree that if you were guilty of your crimes you most likely would have attempted to escape at a much earlier time, and agree that you would have been much less compliant if you were not telling the truth. Senior Officer Vadim also wishes to apologize for causing you so much fright."

Luna's eyes went to the leftmost Officer as he gave her a nod; she assumed that this Stallion was the one named Vadim.

"It is alright, he is doing his job." The Princess spoke with relief.

With a short exchange of words with the Unicorn, the three Officers looked back to Luna.

"We are going to continue on to President Mikhail's office, so get moving again." Explained the Unicorn.

Luna reluctantly stepped back with the group as they began walking through the expansive area they were still located in. The inside of the structure looked a lot finer than the exterior; fine wood panels and trimmings making up the walls, light gray granite tiles giving the floor a wonderful contrast with the dark wood walls and plaster ceiling. Just now beginning to look around the area; Princess Luna met eyes with the few ponies that had stopped to see the Princess being detained; many of them wore Officer's uniforms similar to the three escorting her or suits. She turned her gaze from those watching her and focused on following the Officers.

"I must ask... earlier when you stated that I would be shot if I did not follow exact instructions... were those four soldiers actually ordered to kill me?" She asked shakily, looking at the Unicorn walking to her right.

The Unicorn began speaking to the Officers to the front, who upon hearing his words simply responded with 'nyet.'

"I'm not allowed to say."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me

Nº 23: No More Running

The light clink of porcelain cut the toasty air of the living room as Celestia set her short, round cup of hot chocolate on its matching dish located a short distance away on the coffee table. Valinka had brought her the treat after the three had finished dinner, which Celestia was still full from. She was impressed with how Valinka was able to make such wonderful dishes from a few simple vegetables, various seasonings, and bread. Pavel was lucky to have such a fine mare as a wife.

"Является ли ваш горячий шоколад хорошо? Я не знаю, сколько молока вы предпочитаете добавили."
(Is your hot chocolate good? I don't know how much milk you prefer to have added.) Valinka asked as she took a seat beside Celestia on the home's small sofa, most of its volume being taken up by the slouched Alicorn.

"Идеально. Я наслаждаюсь моим трактует быть слишком сладким, и этот горячий какао именно это."
(It's perfect. I enjoy my treats to be overly sweet, and this hot cocoa is exactly that.) Responded Celestia with a smile.

"Замечательно! В следующий раз я готовлю что-то для вас я буду иметь это в виду."
(Wonderful! The next time I prepare something for you I will keep that in mind.)

"Я завидую ваши кулинарные способности, Valinka. Из тысяч и тысяч полей Я хорошо осведомлен, я ничего не знаю о кулинарном искусстве."
(I envy your cooking abilities, Valinka. Out of the thousands upon thousands of fields I am knowledgeable in, I know nothing about the Culinary arts.)

"Вы только говорят моя кулинария хорошо, потому что вы кормили черствый хлеб и рис за последний месяц."
(You're only saying my cooking is good because you have been fed stale bread and rice for the last month.) Joked Valinka.

"Все лучше, чем то, что я был сыт."
(Anything is better than what I was fed.) Celestia chuckled in response, her cup of cocoa floating from the table to her lips as she took a sip.

With nothing left to say, the speech between the two fell silent, the light crackle of the fire taking over the room. Celestia felt something she had not felt in a long time; pure joy. Through all of the horrors she had experienced since her ordeal began there had not been a single moment of happiness; except for right in this moment.

For the first time, she had completely forgotten about everything that had been plaguing her mind, her thoughts silenced themselves as she stared into the fire, occasionally sipping her drink. Even with the fire, her hot cocoa, and her blanket, nothing made Celestia warmer than the love she felt from both Valinka and Pavel, two complete strangers who had gone out of their way to give to someone they had never met. There was a feeling, one Celestia had not felt in a thousand years; the feeling of having a family.

Memories from when her mother and father were alive felt dull and detail-less, but she could still recall how she felt during those strange, cold times. Every once and awhile, there was a little moment of warmth that Celestia, Luna and their mother and father shared together when they would all build a fire in a field somewhere and try to find a comfortable place to sleep, and in those moments; when the four were in each other's embrace, a warmth no fire could create was felt; and it was the exact warmth she felt sitting on a sofa, in a small home, in a small town, tucked away somewhere in the frozen forests of another land.

A yawn from Pavel, who had been sitting quietly in his armchair across from the couch, snapped Celestia from her state of thought.

"Я думаю, что пора ложиться спать."
(I think it is time to go to bed.) He groaned, stretching his limbs.

"Это всего лишь 8:00..."
(It's only 8 o'clock...) Valinka responded after looking at the clock hung above the fireplace.

Pavel groaned again, still stretching.

"Я не знаю, смогу ли я встать..."
(I don't know if I can get up...)

"Тогда этого не делают. Селестия, вы не возражаете, если мы спим здесь с вами сегодня вечером, не так ли?"
(Then don't. Celestia, you don't mind if we sleep down here with you tonight, do you?)

"Я хотел бы, чтобы это произошло."
(I would love for that to happen.)

With that response, Valinka got herself more comfortable on the couch and Pavel slid further into his armchair. Celestia looked between the two of them with a bright smile on her face, doing the same and curling herself up, wrapping her wonderfully soft blanket in her front legs. After no more than 5 minutes, the three had fallen completely asleep.

~~~

Celestia's eyes fluttered open, an odd noise bringing her from her sleep. She took a groggy look around the room, her eyes eventually landing on the clock above the fireplace; 9:31. Upon looking down from the clock, an unknown object caught her vision from the corner of her eye, and only after taking the object in her magic did Celestia realize it was a letter; one sent by either her sister or Twilight Sparkle.

Celestia's eyes widened as she sat up, her groggy state quickly dissolving as she peered at the letter. It meant one of two things; Twilight had finally found out she was still alive, or Luna was using it as a means to track her. Regardless, Celestia unrolled the letter and attempted to read what was written; her damaged vision and the dim light of the fireplace meaning she couldn't read a single word.

"Valinka... Valinka." She spoke, pushing the sleeping mare beside her with a hoof.

With a mumble, she finally began to wake up, sitting up as she rubbed her face, looking over at Celestia; who's expression was one of deep fear.

"C-Селестия? Что не так?"
(C-Celestia? What's wrong?) She asked, still trying to wake up.

"Где мои вещи, мне нужен мой фонарик."
(Where are my things, I need my flashlight.) Quickly responded Celestia, her words bringing Valinka to a slightly more alert state.

"Это на этой стороне дивана ... что это бумага, и откуда она взялась?"
(It's on this side of the couch... what is that paper, and where did it come from?)

"Это письмо от любой моей сестры или моего друга и ученика Сумеречной Искрятся; мы три имеют специальное заклинание, которое позволяет нам посылать письма друг другу ... но я не могу читать то, что написано, так что я не знаю, стоит ли пугаться или облегчение при виде этой бумаги."
(It's a letter from either my sister or my friend and student Twilight Sparkle; we three have a special spell that allows us to send letters to each other... but I can't read what is written, so I don't know whether to be frightened or relieved at the sight of this paper.) Explained Celestia.

Valinka quickly leaned over the edge of the couch and brought up the small bag Celestia had kept around her neck, instantly the bag was taken by the brightly glowing aurora of Celestia's magic as she opened it and brought up her flashlight, clicking on the light as she began to read.

Celestia - It's Twilight. I know it is a shock to read this, but you need to take what is written to heart. We know Star Yield has told you that Luna was the cause of this whole thing, but he lied to you. Luna and I are currently leaving the Stalliongradian Capital to make it to you before Star Yield can. HE IS COMING FOR YOU RIGHT NOW. A message was received just a moment ago from a Stalliongradian base way up north saying that they got a call on the radio from a town called Tisy requesting a helicopter to come pick up someone severely injured. They then said an Equestrian Royal Guard base to the south was sending a flight of five helicopters to that town. HE KNOWS YOU ARE IN THAT TOWN. There is so much of this to explain, I cannot do it in writing. PLEASE, CELESTIA, LEAVE THAT TOWN AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN. I will send more letters soon, we are going to follow the trail to you. If you see a large green helicopter, that is us.

DON'T GET CAUGHT. Furthermore, Luna tells me to say that she loves you.

"От кого это? Что это говорит?"
(Who is it from? What does it say?) Valinka asked with concern.

Celestia remained silent, her eyes still browsing around on the paper as her mind tried processing what she had read.

"Это из Сумерек ... она говорит, что Star Урожайность на его пути здесь, и знает, что я нахожусь в городе, потому что сообщения радио Павел разослан. Она говорит, что мне нужно, чтобы начать работать."
(It's from Twilight... she say that Star Yield is on his way here now, and knows I'm in the town because of the radio message Pavel sent out. She says I need to start running.)

Valinka's eyes widened; her mouth agape at what Celestia had just told her.

"Что происходит?"
(What's going on?) Groaned Pavel as he woke up, the dialogue between the two having brought him from his sleep.

Valinka stood from the couch as she began to inform Pavel of what she had been told by Celestia, who currently hadn't moved; her eyes still fixed on 5 words of the letter: "but he lied to you."

Out of everything written, those 5 words were the most shocking. It made no sense. She had seen Luna in that cell, Luna had been there, she had talked to her. She had killed 3 ponies who were simply being controlled, and didn't deserve to have their lives ended, under the assumption that her sister was the one controlling them, and had knelt down to eye level with one of them and asked "Is my sister behind this?", and with his terminal breath, he had responded yes.

"but he lied to you.", Celestia kept reading the words, over and over.

She tried to single those words out, trying to suspect that maybe Twilight had been given the Aura as well... but everything else on the paper conflicted with that thought so incredibly. Maybe the letter was right, and Star Yield had simply lied to her. Maybe she had imagined Luna coming down the stairs into the cell. Maybe the White Stallion had nodded just to spite her. She didn't know what to believe.

"Селестия! Ну, что вам нужно, чтобы начать работать! Убирайся отсюда!"
(Celestia! Come on, you need to get going! Get out of here!) Valinka's panicked words finally dragging Celestia back to reality.

Her eyes went from the paper to Valinka's and Pavel's faces and back again, Celestia's total lack of words or identifiable unrest beginning to worry the two. "PLEASE, CELESTIA, LEAVE THAT TOWN AND RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN."

Celestia read over the words one more time, a feeling of determination filling her body. She had been running and hiding for too long. She was the ruler of Equestria. She possessed powers great enough to move the sun, powers great enough to bring an entire building from its foundation, powers great enough to defeat anything she had encountered for the last two thousand years of her life. She wasn't going to let a couple basic Unicorns scare her off any longer.

"Я никуда не поеду."
(I'm not going anywhere.) Finally spoke Celestia as she released the letter from her magic, looking over to Valinka and Pavel.

"Что вы имеете в виду, что вы не собираетесь где-нибудь? Если они приходят к вам, вы должны уйти!"
(What do you mean, you're not going anywhere? If they are coming for you, you need to leave!) Pavel retorted with shock, both he and Valinka looking at Celestia with wild eyes.

"Я убегал от этих идиотов на неделю сейчас! Я собираюсь остаться здесь и бороться... я положить конец этой ночью!"
(I have been running away from these idiots for a week now! I'm going to stay here and fight... I'm ending this tonight!) Celestia exclaimed as she levitated her crudely built crutch over to herself and began to attempt to stand up, Valinka quickly stepping over to help Celestia in her endeavor.

"Ты остаешься и бороться?"
(You're staying and fighting?) Valinka asked, stepping back after getting Celestia upright, the Alicorn's height meaning she had to crane her neck to keep her horn from scratching the ceiling.

"Я делаю больше, чем пребывание. Я делаю больше, чем борьба. Я это окончание. Здесь и сейчас. Больше не буду стоять на пусть это ... простой предатель поддержать меня в углы! Он может бросить столько войск на меня, как он хочет; ни одна из них будет иметь значение. Даже он не может надеяться бросить мне вызов. Я единственный самый мощный существо когда-либо иметь сердцебиение. Я встал на пути врагов, которые делают этот вид единорога, как если бы он был блоха! Каждое заклинание, он может надеяться использовать против меня бы чуть-чуть пощекотать мой мех! После того, как он смеет шаг копытом в этом маленьком городке, он будет знать свои ошибки! Он будет знать, что бешенство я могу раскрыть! Он будет знать, что происходит, когда он попадает под поверхностью солнца!!"
(I'm doing more than staying. I'm doing more than fighting. I'm ending this. Here, and now. No longer will I stand by at let this... simple traitor back me into corners! He can throw as many troops at me as he wishes; not a single one will make a difference. Not even he can hope to challenge me. I am the single most powerful being to ever have a heartbeat!)

The tone in Celestia's voice deepened, and her brow furrowed.

(I have stood in the way of foes that make this unicorn look as if he were a flea! Every spell he can hope to use against me would barely tickle my fur! Once he dares step hoof in this little town, he will know his mistakes! He will know what fury I can unleash! He will know what the sun herself is capable of!!)

Celestia's final triumphant cry echoed through the home, leaving total silence, and leaving Valinka and Pavel in pure shock. The bright grin upon Celestia's lips faded as she looked down at the two.

"К сожалению, чтобы напугать вас двоих. Valinka, у вас есть какие-либо алюминиевую посуду?"
(Sorry to frighten you two. Valinka, do you have any aluminum cookware?) she spoke after clearing her throat.

"д-да ... У меня есть пекарский лист, который является алюминий."
(Y-yes... I have a baking sheet that is aluminum.)

"Можете ли вы получить его для меня?"
(May you get it for me?) Replied Celestia in a normal tone as if nothing had happened.

Without asking why she had been so specific, Valinka shuffled past Celestia and moved into the kitchen to retrieve the item. A yellow light appeared in the room as Celestia's horn began shining, the pile that made up her backpack and winter clothing transitioning from the floor to the couch as she began rummaging through one of the duffles.

After a moment, she pulled 2 morphine injectors from the bag, one floating to her flank, an almost inaudible hiss coming from the object as the morphine began flowing into her system. Celestia let out a moan as the medicine numbed most of the ache throughout her body; she hadn't used one of the injectors in a full day, as she was trying to avoid becoming addicted to the substance; but what was to come would require her being free of the restrictions of pain.

"Вот лоток."
(Here's the tray,) Valinka spoke, Celestia's attention going to the mare.

The sheet tray held by her hoof became surrounded in a yellow aurora as it joined Celestia's other items on the couch beside her. Valinka watched as Celestia then took the second injector in her magic and swiftly stuck it into her flank, this time, she gave no indication of pleasure.

"Вы действительно нуждаетесь в двух из них?"
(Do you really need two of them?) Inquired Valinka.

"Да. Я не хочу чувствовать себя одну вещь, так что я могу оставаться в мобильном телефоне, как это возможно."
(Yes, I do. I don't want to feel a single thing so I can remain as mobile as possible.) Came the reply as Celestia began putting on the first of her two coats.

Even with the morphine's heavy effects, running full speed was still an impossibility because of just how damaged her leg was. If not for the two coats Celestia was putting on, flight would still very much be possible; the small hole in her wing that initially took her from the sky was only an inch or so across, it would have barely any effect on her aerodynamically. If it was needed, Celestia could quickly remove her coats and backpacks in order to take flight.

"Могу ли я спросить, почему вам нужен лоток для листового алюминия?"
(May I ask why you need an aluminium sheet tray?)

"Алюминий обладает прекрасными анти-магические свойства, я могу использовать его в качестве своего рода щит, чтобы блокировать любой вид энергии на основе заклинаний, которые могут прийти мой путь. И ... если я могу тянуть его, я бы очень хотел, чтобы огреть Star Выход через голову с ним."
(Aluminum has wonderful anti-magic properties, I can use it as a sort of shield to block any sort of energy-based spells that might come my way. And... if I can pull it off, I'd really like to whack Star Yield across the head with it.) Explained Celestia, the thicker, second coat and canvas pants how adorning her figure, the Alicorn's long tail tucked under the ends of the two thick coats.

"Мне нравится этот лист лоток..."
(I like that sheet tray...)

"Нет необходимости беспокоиться, я принесу вам новый один где-то. Я обещаю, что это не будет наше время видеть друг друга."
(No need to worry, I'll bring you a new one sometime. I promise this won't be our time seeing each other.) Celestia spoke firmly.

Valinka looked on with a saddened expression as Celestia's spell tied the last laces of her heavy duty boots; her figure now representing that of a Soldier instead of someone of Royalty. After tying her hair into a bundle and concealing most of it under the long, green scarf and thick fur hat she possessed, her appearance seemed bland and militaristic.

"Ты положительный вы собираетесь взять на себя те, которые были в состоянии получить это далеко с вами?"
(You're positive you are going to take on the ones who were able to get this far with you?) Pavel asked, his voice holding a tone of concern.

"Я очень уверен. Иди сюда, вы двое; Мне нужно обнять."
(I am very sure. Come here, you two; I need a hug.) Responded Celestia with a smile as she sat herself down on her haunches, her front legs held open.

Valinka and Pavel let out a grunt as Celestia yanked the two into her chest, holding them tightly.

"Я никогда не имел, кого я никогда не встречал столь добры ко мне, как вы двое были. Я люблю вас обоих, и я обещаю, что сегодня не будет последний раз, когда вы видите меня."
(I have never had anyone I had just met be as kind to me as you two have been. I love you both, and I promise that tonight will not be the last time you see me.) Celestia avowed with a sniffle, her voice breaking towards the end of her sentence.

After letting the two go, there was a moment of silence as the three shared a look, Valinka and Pavel both looking to Celestia with teary eyes.

"Разрушить их день."
(Ruin their day.) Pavel spoke with conviction.

Celestia gave a smile in response, a tear rolling from her cheek to the hardwood floor as she levitated her crutch back to her left leg and stood up, her backpack and smaller utility bag followed suit as they were added to her attire.

"Прежде чем я иду, каковы ваши фамилии?"
(Before I go, what are your last names?) She asked, turning her head to address the two.

"Мински ... ваше высочество."
(Minsky... your Highness.) Choked Valinka, the mare doing her best to suppress her tears.

"Valinka Minsky and Pavel Minsky... Я в вашей задолженности."
(Valinka Minsky and Pavel Minsky, I am in your debt.)

With those final words, Celestia marched herself to the back door of the home, exiting into the silent and dark forest beyond the home; Celestia still able to hear Valinka's cries as she stepped through the snow.

It's good to hear from you, Twilight. Thanks for the heads up. Send me another letter in 30 minutes and make your way to the town, I will be waiting for you. Luna: I hope Twilight isn't lying about you. Even if she is, which seems unlikely at this point, I don't care. I will love you always.

The pitch black forest around Celestia lit up for a moment as Celestia's letter was sent on its way. She had found a pen in her bag and used the back of Twilight's original note for her own, Valinka's cooking tray coming in handy as a table to write on. With the letter gone, Celestia floated her pen back into the bag around her neck and went back to waiting, the faint light coming from the town below being just enough for her to see the light snowfall brought on by the blanket of clouds above.

Celestia had sat under a tree right at the edge of the forest before the clearing behind Tisy's clinic, the clearing having a hill to the south which she had perched herself on, the spot giving her an almost full view over the town. What she had planned was no more than an ambush; she had quickly traced her way around the town memorizing locations she could teleport herself to that she wouldn't be able to directly look at.

The teleportation spell required the caster to have either direct sight of the place he/she wanted to go or to have a fairly vivid mental picture of it, so she memorized the spot she was currently sitting in as well as many places in the treeline surrounding the town. When the helicopters arrived, she would transport herself around, use a concussion spell to knock out whatever Soldiers had disembarked from the aircraft and then move to another location to retain the element of surprise.

Looking back on what Twilight had written in her letter, it was likely that one or two helicopters would land in the clearing behind the clinic to have their passengers begin searching through the medical facility in search of Celestia; but that wasn't going to happen, for as soon as they got out she would incapacitate the groups.

Celestia looked over to her large backpack that she had set beside her in the snow and opened the first duffle bag, taking out a box of cookies that Pavel had bought from the town's store for her. With the package opened, Celestia levitated two of the small cookies from their container and popped them into her mouth.

Last she had looked at her clock, it was 10:12, and there were still no signs of the New Order. Despite the freezing temperatures and the now constant snowfall, she wasn't shivering as much as she had anticipated, it seemed her multiple jackets, hat, and scarf succeeded at helping defeat the cold. Suddenly, Celestia's ears caught a distant rumble, she held completely still with her ears perked as the sound became louder; it was Star Yield.

In a single motion, her magic dropped the box of cookies off with her backpack and brought up her scratch-built crutch, the Alicorn quickly getting to her hooves as she began moving further into the treeline to prevent any chance of being seen. The chopping rumble of the 5 helicopters shook the earth more and more by the second, her heart beginning to pound in her chest.

Celestia's eyes were drawn upwards as the first of the flight passed right overhead, the chop of its rotors followed by the sharp whine of its gas turbine engine. Following right behind came the other four aircraft, once over the city each craft split from the formation and began maneuvering to their landing positions; two doing exactly as she wanted as they approached the clearing to the rear of the Clinic. She noticed something very odd, however; the aircraft that had shown up were not the H-34s that her Guard operated, they were of a different Bureau's design.

Had they borrowed Stalliongradian aircraft, or had Luna already been at work replacing things? Her attention was quickly moved to the other 3 aircraft; it looked as if they were going to set down throughout the town in various places to ensure no area of the town remained unoccupied. Turning back, Celestia saw that the two helicopters assigned to the Clinic begin to touch down, clouds of white snow being thrown up around their landing position.

"Alright, Celestia... calm," She spoke to herself, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, "No more running..."

"Star; keep your eyes open. We may have been quick enough to where she wasn't able to leave." Informed the pilot of Star Yield's aircraft right after landing to let the 12 onboard Soldiers dismount.

"My eyes are open."

Both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate watched out the open door of the helicopter as the search team began spreading into the town, the other two aircraft that were assigned to the road lifting off as soon as everyone aboard had dismounted.

Suddenly, a rapid set of explosions echoed through the town, Star's eyes darting up to see that the two teams dropped behind the town's hospital had been stricken by a volley of concussion spells from a treeline to the south, the miniature explosions sending flameless shockwaves through the snow and air as all 24 Soldiers fell unconscious to the frosty earth.

Before being able to track exactly where the spells had come from, there was a flash of light from the treeline; the one firing on the Soldiers had teleported away.

"Whoa, whoa! We've got fire coming from the treeline south of the hospital!"
"Incoming from the southern treeline! Everyone that got off is down!"
"All teams, all teams, move to the hospital and assist!"
Yelled several of the aircraft crews over the radio.

"No, no! Have all of the teams hold their positions! Celestia's decided to fight, and she's using teleportation spells to get around! Tell the team leaders to have their Magic Specialists use their detection spells to maximum so they can try to get an idea of exactly where she is!" Star Yield barked over the slight panic caused by Celestia's attack.

More voices flooded over the communications, the pilots relaying Star's instructions via radio to the search teams below; each Team Leader in the squad wore a clunky back-mounted radio to allow communications with the other teams and the helicopters above.

"This is Team 3, she's at the east end of the town! Right side of the main road!" A male voice shouted over the radio, the 5 spotlights from each airborne helicopter switching on and moving to the mentioned spot as they tried getting a visual on Celestia.

Star was finally able to spot Celestia with all of the light being flooded onto the area from above; he could only watch as she rapidly disabled seven Troops that were still moving down the main road, an object floating in her magic being used to deflect several bolts fired her direction from an alley.

Three bolts leaped from Celestia's horn into the alley, flashes of light bursting from the alley as she neutralized whoever had attacked. Star noticed that both Team 1 and Team 2 were quickly moving to where Celestia was fighting with Team 3; who by been reduced to only the Team's leader and two others.

The three remaining Soldiers began sprinting to the east; the direction Celestia had initially attacked from, in order to flank around her and try to catch her off guard. Star noticed Celestia stop as she cautiously walked down the main road, her head snapping to the direction of the remaining members of Team 3; she had just barely caught a glimpse of the three run by an alley.

There was a blinding strobe of light as Celestia teleported from the road to a position just a little behind the three Soldiers, her horn never ceasing its glow as she hit each three with a single spell; the moment she had finished knocking them out her body flipped around, her head scanning as she walked backwards towards the three Soldiers she had taken out.

"I hope you're listening to this, Star Yield; because I'll give you and your friends this one chance to get back on those helicopters and get out of this town!"Celestia's angry voice crackled over the radio as she had stepped over to the unconscious body of the Team Leader and begun to use his radio.

"Oh, I can hear you. You may be doing well now, but don't worry, you are going to regret what you did to the three in that house!"
Star flamed, a bolt of energy firing from his horn down at the Alicorn; the object in her magic once more being used to deflect the energy.

There was another flash as Celestia teleported from the spot, the spotlight beams of each aircraft moving away from that particular place in town to begin scanning elsewhere.

"What in the world is she using to block our magic? Did she take a shield from any of the Soldiers!?" Exclaimed Star Yield to Gate.

"No one here had a shield! I don't know what she has!"

The two's attention was taken back outside as another series of thundering cracks burst into the air, Star frantically looking around outside of the helicopter as he tried to see where the sounds were coming from. Eventually, he was able to see that Celestia had caught Team 1 completely off-guard as half the team moved down the main road and the remaining members moved through the town towards their objective of helping out Team 3.

Team 2 was re-directed back to the area by the aircraft above since that specific team was quite a ways up the road to the east. The town below was lit up by the flashes of light brought on by the magical exchange between Celestia and the team. After swiftly taking out half of Team 1, Celestia teleported herself away from the area, leaving the remaining six of Team 1 slightly dazed.

"Team 2, get over here and help!" Shouted Team 1's Leader over the radio.

"We copy, we're moving up the main road to you! Stay in cover!"

Another flash of light within the town caught Star's attention, his eyes scanning to find the exact spot where the flash had come from.

"She's back! Left side of the road, just a few houses to the east of us!" Called Team 1's leader.

Upon getting a clear visual of Celestia, Star Yield's horn lit up as he fired a spell from the aircraft down at her, the bolt hitting an invisible shield around the Alicorn. The impact caused the shield to flicker into visibility for a second as sparks flew into the air. Upon being fired at, Celestia looked up at the aircraft and raised the shield held in her magic to a readied position; her horn lighting up as several bolts leaped into the sky towards the aircraft, a cracking explosion bursting in the air a mere meter from the open cabin door of the helicopter.

Several more explosions shook the aircraft as both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate threw themselves away from the door to the other side of the cabin as the pilot banked heavily to the left and began to fly the other direction.

"What in the name of Equestria was that spell she just used?!" Gate Stuttered as he peeked outside to the town as it got further and further away, flashes of light highlighting the houses and trees as the remainder of Team 1 had moved to surprise Celestia.

"I have no idea! Pilot; quickly, turn us back to the town and land behind the Clinic! The Colonel and I are going down to help." Shouted Star Yield as he moved back to the door.

"We are?!"

"Yes, we are! There's no way the remaining teams can deal with her on their own! You and I are well-trained in magic, and if we don't get down to help then we won't be able to capture her tonight!"

"This is Team 2! Celestia took out what was left of Team 1 and she's teleported herself away! We're going to hold position a little down the road from her last position and try to get her to come to us!" Crackled in the voice of Team 2's leader.

"Understood! Star Yield and I are going to be down there in a moment to help!"

Both Star Yield and Lt. Col. Gate had to brace themselves within the cabin as the Pilot violently banked the aircraft to the right as he began a fast approach on Tisy's Clinic.

The rotors of the helicopter beat the air around them into submission as the aircraft reared back to stop, and in a single, swift motion the nose was brought back down to level the aircraft as the wheels dug into the snowy earth, Star and Gate quickly jumping from the aircraft; the moment their exit had been made full pitch went into the rotors of the helicopter as it roared back into the sky, leaving the two in a stinging cloud of icy particles.

As the pair attempted to quickly move through the leg-deep snow their attention was drawn to the many unconscious Soldiers scattered around the area behind the Clinic.

"We need to find one of their radios and tell the helicopters to land and get all these guys aboard!" Star called over the rumble of the helicopters above.

"She's only using concussion spells and incapacitation spells, isn't there a way for you to just wake them all backup?!" Responded Gate.

"No, the only one who can force them from their unconscious state is Celestia!"

Gate gave no verbal response as he began looking over the Soldier's bodies to find one of the Team Leader's radio packs.

"Got it!" Shouted Star, Gate's head turning to see the transmitter of the radio held up in the Unicorn's magic, "Pilots, we need all of you to land and try to drag everyone that's been knocked out by Celestia back aboard and leave! Make sure you don't leave anyone behind; do checks among yourselves to confirm that a total of 48 Soldiers are aboard!"

"Copy that, Sir."
"Gotcha."
"Roger."
"Roger that, Sir."
"Understood!"

Star and Gate continued on their way back into the town as they watched the chorus of aircraft above begin to swoop down into the town on approaches to land.

"You're quite the leader, Star!" Commented Gate as he and Star Yield moved by the Clinic.

"From somepony like you, that's quite the compliment!"

Celestia looked on from the concealment of the large pine trees she had teleported herself to as four of the five helicopters began to lift back into the sky from their landing positions within the town; she could only assume the aircraft had landed in order to retrieve the many Equestrian Guardsmen she had rendered unconscious. The collective roar and rumble of the helicopters faded as the flight finally departed from the town, a peaceful silence falling back over Tisy.

She had observed that the aircraft with Star Yield and the other Soldier accompanying him had taken back off without them; somewhere within the little town were the last 14 ponies she'd have to knock out to end her entire ordeal. As Celestia sat beneath the pines, she held up her two front hooves; her limbs shook not from the cold, but from a mix of fear and adrenaline. It had been many years since she had been engaged in any sort of combat; she had let Twilight do most of the work for the past while, as she knew eventually someone would have to take over.

With a deep breath, she brought her crutch back to her mangled leg and stood upright, dusts of snow falling from her figure as she moved. She had a few options on how to approach the situation before her; she could sneak into the town and try to locate Star and the remaining team, which she could only imagine wouldn't work as well as her previous attacks had; the element of surprise she had once possessed was now completely gone as she wasn't able to directly teleport to the group.

After adjusting her furled wings beneath her coats, Celestia remembered her previous idea of taking flight. By getting airborne, she might be able to quickly spot the group and hit them all at once with a single concussion spell. With that thought, Celestia moved out of the trees; her horn lighting up the short patch of snow between her and the houses as she began to remove her topmost coat, her eyes looking into the few lit windows of the homes to her left.

She could only imagine how shocked all of Tisy's occupants were at this time; Valinka and Pavel were the only two who had any clue as to what was exactly happening within the town. She felt sorry that those living in the town had to have such a rude awakening; being awoken from one's slumber by the sounds of a battle erupting within one's hometown would be both terrifying and annoying.

With both of her coats now removed, Celestia let her wings unfurl from her sides, the sound of her feathers filling the quiet air. Thus far, the small hole in her left wing could barely be felt with the incredible amount of morphine in her system, but that would most likely change once she began taking to the air.

Celestia looked back at her wings as she fluffed her feathers back into their proper positions, sighing and closing her eyes as she gave the first few hard beats to get into the air. The morphine was doing its job; she could still barely feel the wound in her wing, and she had been correct about its size not being a problem; she still had full control over her flight, and her left wing wasn't at a loss of lift.

More thrust was put into her wing strokes as she gained considerable altitude above Tisy, her eyes cautiously scanning in between the homes below; Valinka's sheet tray floating its way along beside her at the ready to deflect anything sent her way. Celestia's vision snapped to the clear area behind several homes as she caught the slightest bit of movement, there in the clearing two Guardsmen had moved from the small clearing to the concealment of a nearby structure.

With her eyes trained on the area, Celestia began flying closer to where she had seen the Soldiers; thus far she had been unseen, and if she could maneuver herself above the general area she would be able to hit every remaining pony below with a single concussion spell. From behind the house stepped four figures in almost perfect synchronization; flashes of light filling her eyes as the four figures fired at her at once.

The sheet tray was rapidly brought to her front and maneuvered perfectly where all four spells had been cast; a loud ping echoing from the tray as the bolts ricocheted in different directions. Before the four could re-aim, Celestia stopped flapping her wings and instantly went into a dive, waiting until she was mere meters from the ground before fully deploying her wings to their maximum length to cancel her downward velocity almost instantly, her hooves impacting the snow softly as she began to shuffle her way towards the nearby houses.

Upon getting herself into cover, Celestia took a look at the sheet tray held it her magical aurora; the tray now had a large dent at its center, but it was still intact. With a sigh, she peeked around the corner of the home she had hidden behind to see if any of the group had come out of their own cover; which they had not.

"That was quite the shot, Starry!!" Celestia yelled into the town.

"You're getting on my nerves with that shield of yours!!" Echoed the response from Star Yield, his position indeterminable from his voice.

"Oh, my sheet tray? I'm glad you like it, it was a gift!!" She gloated in return.

There was no response; Celestia took a second peek around the corner to see that 5 Guardsmen were inching their way through the snow towards her general area.

"There's fourteen of you left, isn't there?! A good 50 of you couldn't challenge me; what makes you think 14 of you can?!" Celestia shouted with a smile.

Once more, no response was offered. She took a second to regain her focus as she peeked back around the corner; the 5 Soldiers moving her way were a fair 30 meters away, and had now entered one of the many sets of alleys of another row of homes. With a well-aimed concussion spell, the 5 were knocked out with an overwhelmingly loud crack; Celestia looking on as their bodies were pushed back from where the blast had expanded from.

"If I'm right, there's now 9 of you!! Don't worry, Starry; I'll save you for last!! This sheet tray has your name written on it!!"

"You'll need more than a sheet tray to defend yourself once we've got you, Celestia! What you did to our three brothers will not go unpunished!!" Star Yield's angered voice responded, the sound seeming to come from an area more to her right than previously.

With a quick check of her surroundings, Celestia began carefully moving from home to home, the action being made very difficult as she lacked her crutch. Peeking around the right side of her current house revealed three more Guardsmen quickly making their way down the alley. After a mere second of her head being poked around the corner, a bolt of energy flew past her and impacted the side of a home to her rear, sparks flying into the air upon impact.

Celestia instantly darted from the right side of the house to the left and checked the parallel alley, Star Yield, and 5 others were sprinting towards her position. Before she could be overtaken, she teleported out of the area to the hilltop she had started at, the instant change in visual stimuli causing her a moment of disorientation.

She swiftly moved out of the trees and back into the open field behind the Clinic, her wings spreading as she leaped into the sky, this time keeping her altitude low as she banked to her left towards where she had once been. After being able to perfectly find the pair of alleys she had been looking down her wings flared as she dropped to the ground only ten or so meters behind the 3 Guardsmen she had taken fire from. Just as the three began to turn to address the sound of her impact, Celestia's horn flashed to life as she hit the three Soldiers (one right after the other; left to right) with an incapacitation spell.

There was something oddly satisfying about seeing the completely limp bodies of the Guardsmen drop to the earth with little up-throwings of snow.

"What's the count now!? Six?!" Called Celestia with a smile as she hobbled her way between homes to remain concealed.

"Shut your face, Celestia!!" Star Yield's voice roared.

A deep laughter erupted from the Alicorn as she moved, her head thrown back and eyes shut tight as she continued to taunt her adversaries.

"Did you really expect a group of Unicorns trained in simple spells would pose any challenge to me?! The only way you 6 are going to have any chance of doing anything to me is if you start trying to kill me!"

No response was offered from Star Yield. Celestia remained behind the two-story home she had been taunting from as she alternated from one side to the other in order to constantly check her surroundings. She could take back to the skies and attempt to strike from above, but the chances she would be able to successfully deflect any incoming spells with her relatively small shield were slim.

While airborne; she could only form an all-encompassing shield capable of deflecting one or two heavy hits, but on the ground, she would be able to keep a shield going that could withstand nearly anything. The only downside to this shield was that she couldn't cast any other spell while using the force field; she would have to be quick, almost surgical, in her spellcasting.

"I hope you've got a helmet on, Starry!!" Celestia called into the cold air as she limped her way from cover to the open alley of the current street she was on.

"Why would I need a helmet?!" Echoed back Star Yield.

He sounded extremely close, maybe only a few houses over.

"Because I'm going to hit you right in the side of the head with this sheet tray when I finally find you!!" She returned, beginning to hobble in the direction she had heard Star's voice.

"I'd love to see you try!"

After hearing Star's words, Celestia stopped, dropping the sheet tray to the ground, no less than a second later a barely visible shield of energy was formed around her; Star was close enough to where his voice wasn't muffled in any way. Mere seconds after stopping two Guardsmen came sprinting around the corner of a two-story home at the end of the road, the two skidding to a halt as they saw her. Two loud cracks broke the air around her as the pair of soldiers fired upon her with no effect.

The instant the two had fired, Celestia dropped the field spell and struck both soldiers with an incapacitation spell, their bodies falling limp. The spell was quickly recast as she began limping her way down the road towards where the Guardsmen had come from. A blinding flash of light from her right caused her to quickly spin to just barely catch a glimpse of whoever had fired at her as the Soldier, or Star Yield, darted back into cover.

"You're almost out of options here, Celestia." Star Yield's calm voice spoke from behind her.

Quickly, she flipped around to see Star standing just a little ways away, and after a darting look around the area Celestia was able to see that Star, two Guardsmen, and somepony who looked to be an Officer of some kind had managed to surround her.

"Wow; it took you this long to get me into a position of some kind of vulnerability. I'm impressed." she sneered in return, looking over to Star Yield.

"I don't ever remember you being so arrogant about victory..." Commented Star as he cocked his head at the Alicorn.

"I haven't won yet."

With those words, a flash of pure white light blinded all those surrounding Celestia as in a split second she had managed to cease the shield spell and teleport herself back to the last place she had left her sheet tray; which was a mere three to four homes down from where Star Yield and his group were.

"Quick, get back into cover!" Star's angered and frantic voice shouted to those around him; the group unknowing that Celestia hadn't teleported herself far.

"Star, keep your eyes up; she might try that top-down attack she did earlier!" Lt. Col. Gate's voice called.

Upon regaining her bearings, she looked down to see that her scorched and dented sheet tray was still sitting right where she had left it. With the tray back floating in her magic, she took a short peek down the road she had been surrounded on; Star and his remaining Soldiers were nowhere to be seen. Slowly, Celestia began limping her way down the road, her head on a swivel as she checked every possible angle she could.

"Gate, I don't think she's going to try to hit us from the air again." Star's voice said.

"Yeah... I think you're right. It's probably best if we get out of this area so she can't just come back." Lt. Col. Gate responded.

After hearing this, Celestia quickly strafed behind a structure to her left but kept her head peeked around the corner to watch as Star, the Officer she assumed was named Gate, and the two remaining Soldiers began a swift departure down the road away from the area. As she stepped out of cover her horn aimed and rapidly fired three precise bolts into the backs of the two retreating Guardsmen and the Officer, their now limp figures tumbling to the snow.

Star had only just begun to turn his head to see what had happened besides him as Celestia's horn sparked to life once more, a strobe of white light flooding the dim street as Celestia teleported directly in front of Star Yield. With a single, swift motion, the sheet tray held in her aurora flew through the air and clanged against the side of Star Yield's face, the impact knocking him from his hooves.

His entire figure was frozen and his magic cut off as Celestia took his entire body with a spell, holding him completely still. Her angered eyes remained locked with Star's as she glared at him, pure anger burning through her once kind eyes.

"You have an inhibitor ring somewhere on you, where is it?!" Boomed Celestia.

Star Yield offered no response as his fear-ridden eyes remained locked with hers.

"Starry, I will ask once more; where is the inhibitor ring?"

"L-Left chest pocket."

After receiving the information, Celestia's magic manipulated the mentioned pocket to retrieve the ring. With the little metal circle in her embrace, Celestia floated the inhibitor ring to Star's horn and firmly slid it to the base.

Star was released from her magic, his body remaining still as he was still too shocked to attempt any sort of escape or attack. Throwing up a light poof of snow, Celestia's sheet tray dropped from her magic as she sighed deeply, looking away from Star to the area around her.

"I don't like being violent, Star Yield." Spoke Celestia solemnly as she sat to her haunches besides Star.

There was still no response from Star as he simply let out a sigh of defeat, his hoof rubbing the side of his head that had been impacted.

"I want you to answer this question with one hundred percent truth, Star Yield. If you lie to me, I can just cast a spell to get the truth from you. If I have to do that, you'll have to put another Star Yield shaped dent in this tray." Celestia said sternly, her eyes locked with his.

"Well... what do want?"

"Did you lie to me about Luna being the New Order's creator?"

Star broke Celestia's eye contact as he turned his head away, looking off in the distance.

"Yes... yes, I lied to you. Princess Luna had no involvement. I tried to get her to side with us, but she declined and Admiral Cloud Drop decided to follow her." Explained Star Yield with another sigh.

Celestia's magic surrounded Star's coat collar as she yanked him from his lying position and brought his face close to hers.

"Why would you let me believe Luna tried to kill me!?! I had thoughts of killing my own sister because of what you told me!! I wanted to break out of the prison you put me in so that I could end my sister's life!!"

Celestia pulled him even closer, her aurora's intensity growing as she pressed her forehead against Star's.

"Why would you lie to me about this!?!"

Star cringed back, his ears in pain from her sheer volume. After a moment, Celestia released Star's collar from her embrace as stifled tears of rage welled in her eyes.

"I have had nightmare after nightmare involving Luna doing something horrible to me... I... I cut White Dust's throat after he, with his dying breath, said that my sister was the one behind my demise... I spent hours in that cell thinking of ways that I could... t-that I could kill Luna! I saw her come into that cell one day, and I said right to her face that I would break free to end her life!!" Screamed the distraught Alicorn, her cheeks moist with tears.

"What do you mean, you saw Princess Luna in the cell?" Star inquired.

"S-She was there! I remember talking to her... and now I get a letter from Twilight saying that she and my sister are on their way to come help me and that Luna was never part of the New Order... and I have you telling me that Luna was never part of this whole thing... yet I ended the life of an innocent pony because he-he looked me in the eye and nodded when I asked if Luna was behind everything!! Star... j-just tell me once more; it is a lie that Luna had any involvement in this entire plot, and that I somehow imagined her in that prison, and White Dust simply lied to me!!"

Star Yield looked deep into Celestia's teary, bloodshot eyes for a few long seconds while holding his silence.

"Princess Luna didn't do anything to you."

The response from Star caused a deep breath to leave Celestia. Still, she glared at him.

"Then why did I see my sister in that prison?"

"I don't know, you idiot! You probably dreamt or hallucinated her being there!" Shouted Star Yield with annoyance.

The sheet tray was brought back into the air by Celestia's magic and slammed into Star Yield's side, the impact causing him to yelp in pain.

"Don't call me an idiot! If anyone here is an idiot, it would be you! You might have still stood a chance against me if you had just let your cannon fodder Guardsmen get knocked out and had yourself evacuated." Barked Celestia, dropping the tray back to her side.

Star groaned, rubbing his side with a hoof.

"You're right. I should have just tried to kill you..."

Celestia gave a hearty chuckle, looking away from Star Yield.

"That Aura thing really did make you hate me, didn't it?"

Celestia gave a pause of thought, her expressions showing Star Yield that some gears were turning in her mind.

"When you first had me in that prison, you explained the Aura let Nightmare Moon speak to you... and Nightmare Moon was nothing more than a figment of Luna's imagination, so it only stands to reason Luna created this Aura spell..."

"You really are stubborn, aren't you? The spell was created over a thousand years ago by Princess Luna, but I altered it for the Mother of the Night's purposes. How many times do you have to be told Luna had no involvement in this entire plot?" Scoffed Star, interrupting Celestia's speech.

"I am not being stubborn!" Roared Celestia, her sheet tray raising to strike once more, but failed to come down as she witnessed Star cringe beneath her.

After a pause of silence, Star Yield gave a little chuckle as he adjusted himself on the snowy road.

"Funny how we're just sitting here talking. All we need is some food and drink and we'd almost be on a date." He joked, seeming to lighten up.

"I can arrange that. I need to go and get my coats back, anyway." Celestia returned as she carefully stood herself up, doing her best to keep her weight off her left leg.

With a flash, Celestia disappeared somewhere into the town or it's surrounding areas, leaving Star Yield to sit alone in the snow.

The Sun must still set, my child.

Upon hearing Nightmare Moon's words, Star had an idea; one that had been put into his mind rather than conceived by it. His eyes instantly darted over to one of the unconscious Guardsmen; every Soldier that had been sent into the town wore under their boots the same standard issue concealable combat knife. Leaving a small flurry of snow, Star Yield darted from his place on the road and sprinted to the nearest Guard, beginning to clumsily undo the laces of the boot on his right hoof.

With the boot off, Star was able to unclip the hoof-mounted blade from the Guard's leg and rapidly pull off his own boot to use the concealed blade for himself. Just as he had put his own heavy winter boot back onto his hoof to cover the device, a flash of pure white contrast highlighted the surrounding homes as Celestia re-appeared, her figure bulked by her two coats and large backpack; she also dawned the crutch she had crafted for her mangled left leg.

"I have plenty of- what are you doing? Making sure those Soldiers are fine?" Celestia inquired, her brow raised and head cocked to the side.

"Y-yeah... I wanted to be sure you really were using concussion spells." He lied, heart pounding in his chest.

"Indeed, I only used non-lethal force. I vowed to the three I murdered in that prison that as long as I lived I would never end the life of another pony, even if it meant mine had to end." she explained solemnly as she removed her backpack with a spell, letting the large cargo vessel fall to the snow.

"That's very noble of you." Star Yield mumbled to himself, a short grin coming to his expression.

"Would you like some of these little cookies? Pavel got them for me from Tisy's market." Inquired Celestia as she levitated a box from one of the two duffles on her pack.

"Pavel?"

"Yes, I met him and his wife 4 days ago when I first arrived in the town. They have been wonderful friends of mine for that short time. Valinka, Pavel's partner, was the one to lend me the sheet tray."

"Ah, I see."

Star Yield walked back over to where Celestia stood as he sat himself down across from the Alicorn, who had begun doing the same after dropping her crutch.

"Cookies?" she reiterated, floating the box to Star.

Star complied, allowing her to pour several of the small confections into his outstretched hoof. The two's attention was drawn to Celestia's horn as a scroll materialized out of the air with a fizzle, the paper being taken by her aurora before it could fall to the snow.

"Oh, it must have been 30 minutes." she commented, unrolling the scroll as she read, keeping her horn lit to provide ample light.

We are on our way to Tisy. The pilot says we are only around 5 minutes out. They have been flying like mad; Luna is enjoying it but I feel sick. Did you do what Luna and I think you did and stay in the town to take on Star Yield?

"Yes, I did," Celestia spoke to herself with a smile as she brought up her damaged sheet tray and pen to respond to the letter.

Indeed, Twilight; I stayed. Star Yield is sitting beside me; we're having a snack together.
Luna: words cannot express how I feel. I know now that you were not the organizer of this entire ordeal. The only time I have ever been happier was the day you returned from my mistake. I love you; more than you shall ever be able to comprehend.

Upon finishing her writings, the paper was rolled up and sent off with a fizzle of smoke.

"Well, Twilight and Luna will be here in the next 5 minutes; I suppose that gives us just enough time to enjoy each other's company."

"Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?" Asked Star Yield with a raised brow.

"I'm done being angry, and I'm done fighting. It's over. Let us sit here for a while and act like the past month hasn't happened." She responded with a sigh, taking several cookies from the box for herself.

Celestia looked on as Star Yield stood up, his eyes browsing over the former war zone that was the narrow street he and Celestia occupied.

"I suppose you're right... it really is over," spoke Star with a sigh of defeat, his hoof fiddling with the laces on his boot, "Do you think you could untie these laces? There's a rock or something in here and it's quite unpleasant."

The mentioned laces were surrounded by a yellow aurora as the knot quickly undid itself.

"Well... you know, I don't think things are quite over just yet..." Spoke Star as he attempted to remove his boot.

"What makes you say that?"

"That, right over there!"

Celestia's head turned to the direction in which Star had pointed, right as she did a sharp mechanical sound rang through the air, and before she could turn back around to address the sound Star Yield lunged towards her and drove the once concealed knife into the left side of her stomach, causing her to screech out in agony. Celestia was rolled to her side from the impact as she began desperately flailing her hooves to throw Star from her as he swiftly drove the blade into her stomach 2 more times. Finally, Celestia was able to free herself from Star and trap his figure in her aurora, the stunned Alicorn looking into Star's eyes with a wild expression as she whimpered in pain; hooves roaming across her lower section to find the wounds.

"You bastard!!" She screamed, firing an incapacitation spell right at Star's face, his figure falling limp to the snowy road as she released him from her magic.

With heavy breaths, Celestia frantically began to remove her two coats that were now damp with blood from the three consecutive wounds inflicted to her stomach; a bright red puddle beginning to appear in the snow underneath her.

With the coats removed, her magic rapidly opened the duffle bag containing medical supplies as she dumped all of its contents to the road; 4 rolls of bandages, a third morphine injector, and a rag were lifted from the pile as she turned to the three searing stab wounds in her side, three very generous streams of blood coming from the cuts.

Already beginning to feel dizzy, Celestia worked at filling the punctures with bits of bandage to suppress the bleeding, the moment the first wad so much as touched one of the wounds she let out a scream as a bolt of burning, stinging pain shot through her body. The Morphine injector held in her magic was brought forth and its cap removed as she stuck the needle into her flank, throwing it to the side once it had been done hissing.

A little less agonizing than before, the first of the three holes was plugged with a bit of rolled up bandage, the little patch barely doing anything to help stop the flow.

"Keep pressure on the wounds, keep pressure on the wounds, keep pressure on the wounds!" Celestia frantically spoke to herself as she finished plugging the remaining punctures and began to tightly wrap bandages around her lower body with her magic.

To make things quicker, Celestia painfully sat herself up a little, the bandage roll now being allowed to wrap around her wounds quicker. With the entire roll expended and her stomach tightly compressed by the many loops of bandage, she began to stand herself up with her crutch; short whines of pain escaping her lips as she finally came to a fully upright position.

"Valinka!! Pavel!!" She screamed, beginning to hobble down the road towards what appeared to be a large intersection.

Her eyes darted around the surrounding buildings as several doors opened, shocked Stalliongradians looking on at the wounded and frightened Princess as she moved down the road.

"Valinka!!"

"Принцесса Селестия ?? Что произошло?!"
(Princess Celestia?? What has happened?!) Shouted an unknown male voice, Celestia turning to see a light brown Stallion run from the door of his home.

"Я был зарезан жеребец, причинившим бой вы слышали за последнее время, пожалуйста; Мне нужно знать, где Valinka и Павел Мински жить!"
(I was stabbed by the Stallion who has caused the battle you heard for the past while, please; I need to know where Valinka and Pavel Minsky live!) She shouted frantically, her legs wobbly.

"Чуть дальше по улице в конце этой дороги; как вы знаете их?"
(A little down the street at the end of this road; how do you know them?) He asked, many other questions rushing through his mind.

"Они помогли мне, когда я впервые приехал сюда; пожалуйста, пойти и получить их!"
(They helped me when I first arrived here; please, go and get them!)

The Stallion darted down the road in compliance, many different voices shouting into the air of the town as more and more of Tisy's occupants came from their homes, several different ponies running to Celestia.

"Celestia!!" Shouted the familiar voice of Valinka from a little ways off.

"Valinka! Pavel! Помоги мне!"
(Help me!)

Celestia watched as her Stalliongradian comrades accompanied by the light brown Stallion ran around the corner of the intersection.

"Вы живы, принцесса Селестия ?! Что в мире случилось с вами!"
(You are alive, Princess Celestia?! What in the world happened to you!) Asked a fairly young, tan Mare as she and several others looked on.

"Я был ранен ножом три раза... борьбы вы все слышали! Я ... Мне нужно, чтобы добраться до клиники!"
(I was stabbed three times in the stomach! I... I need to get to the clinic!) Responded Celestia as her legs failed her, snow being kicked up as she painfully dropped to the ground.

"Селестия !! Нет! Все, резервное копирование!"
(Celestia!! No! Everypony, back up!) Cried Valinka as she and Pavel reached the severely wounded Alicorn.

"Он ударил меня ... он поймал меня врасплох, и ударил меня после того, как я победил его ... п-пожалуйста, Valinka ... Я должен попасть в клинику; моя сестра приходит в вертолет, чтобы спасти меня ... Мне нужно попасть в клинику!"
(He stabbed me... he caught me off guard and stabbed me after I defeated him... p-please, Valinka... I must get to the clinic; my sister is coming in a helicopter to get me out of here... I need to get to the clinic!) Explained Celestia in between her pained breaths.

"Все, помогают поднять ее! Получить ее в клинику города!"
(Everypony, help lift her up! Get her to the town's clinic!) Shouted Valinka as the rumble of a solitary helicopter began to shake the earth around them.

The group of 8 or so ponies that had gathered around Celestia, Valinka, and Pavel began to slide the Alicorn's large figure on to a wide sled one of the ponies in the group had retrieved, the aircraft Luna was aboard now thundering over the town.

"Вы собираетесь быть в порядке, мой друг!"
(You are going to be alright, my friend!) Pavel called over the sound of the aircraft as he placed a hoof on Celestia's side, looking to her with a smile as the group began to push her along on the sled, her legs and unfurled wings dragging in the snow as her figure was far too large to fit upon the vessel.

"Я сказал вам, что я буду видеть вас двоих снова!"
(I told you I'd see you two again!) returned Celestia with a smile, Valinka and Pavel returning her smile as they ran along with the group of Stalliongradians that had taken the task of moving Celestia.

"Я буду очень зол на тебя, если ты умрешь сегодня вечером, Селестией!"
(I'm going to be very angry with you if you die tonight, Celestia!) Choked Valinka.

"Я не умираю ... Я не ... не сегодня, Valinka."
(I'm not dying... I'm not... not tonight, Valinka.)

Valinka took Celestia's hoof in her own, looking to the now very pale and drowsy looking Alicorn with teary eyes. The thump of the helicopter became much louder as the group hurried Celestia towards the aircraft, it's rear gate now beginning to lower as the beast of an aircraft had finally touched down. Celestia did her best to look up at the helicopter as a tall figure with a wavy, light blue mane and tail exited from the aircraft.

"Celestia!!" Luna's voice cried over the noise of the helicopter, Celestia watching as her sister ran through the snow towards her.

The group that had been pulling and pushing Celestia to the clinic stepped back as Luna ran to her sister's side, fear riddling the young Alicorn's expression as she looked on at her sister.

"C-Celestia!! What did he do to you!?" She cried.

"He stabbed me three times... in the stomach," Celestia paused as she coughed violently, a few drips of blood coming from her lips, "I did it, Luna... I defeated him..." She finished, tears of joy coming to her eyes as she held out her hooves to Luna.

The blue Alicorn tightly embraced her sister as the two both wept into each other's shoulders. The pain in Celestia's mind and body seemed to fade, and all of the noise around her turned to a barely noticeable rumble as she embraced Luna. So long had it been since she had felt Luna in her hooves.

"You are not going to die on me again, Celestia! I promise!" Luna cried as she pulled away from Celestia's embrace and took the reigns of the sled with magic and began pulling her sister towards the aircraft.

"Wait! W-Wait!! Valinka! Pavel!" Celestia shouted with an outstretched hoof.

Her two friends ran to Celestia's side as Luna stopped pulling and turned to see what her sister had been shouting about.

"Спасибо и так много ... за все! Пожалуйста ... скажите все в Тисы, что случилось в эту ночь; вы двое знаете лучше всего. Я ... Я люблю тебя обоих, и я вернусь в один прекрасный день с новым подносом листа для вас, Valinka !!"
(Thank you both so much... for everything! Please... tell all in Tisy what happened on this night; you two know best. I... I love you both, a-and I will return one day with a new sheet tray for you, Valinka!!) She shouted over the helicopter's chop.

"Просто сделайте из этого живого, Селестией!"
(Just make it out of this alive, Celestia!) Pavel shouted, both he and Valinka giving a wave as they watched Luna resume moving towards the aircraft.

Celestia looked on to her friends and the rest of the Stalliongradians that had helped her as she was pulled aboard the helicopter, her unfurled wings colliding lightly with the walls of the aircraft. There was a quick strobe of light as Greff, the Crew Chief of the aircraft, snapped a quick photo of the entire event. Celestia looked at him with a smile; Luna also turning to the Chief as he snapped another photo.

"I apologize, your Highness; but this moment is too great to not be photographed!" The Crew Chief spoke as he walked up the loading ramp.

"You are fine... I agree with you!"

"Celestia!! What happened to you?!" Shouted Twilight as she and Cloud Drop maneuvered themselves around the large pallets of provisions inside the helicopter.

"Star Yield stabbed me in the stomach... three times..." She struggled, looking to her sister, "L-Luna... he's in the... the town with a group of Soldiers... they're all knocked out! You need to g-get rid of Star Yield's Aura!!"

"B-but sister... you need to be taken to a hospital, and quick! Star Yield can wait!!"

"No! It will take a little bit of time for you.... to bring them all back aboard the helicopter! Go, quickly!"

With a little hesitation, Princess Luna ran from the gate of the helicopter towards Tisy.

"I'm so glad you're alive!" Cried Twilight from the side as she took her friend in a hug.

"Thank you for coming to save me... Twilight... t-thank you so much!" Celestia whimpered, returning the purple Alicorn's embrace.

"Luna is the only reason we're here! I've done next to nothing!"

"I... I don't care! I am just glad to see you... glad to see all of you!" Returned Celestia as she looked up at Cloud Drop, who had a light smile upon his expression.

"I'm so sorry that I helped do this to you... your Majesty. After all the wonderful things you've done for me, this is how I repaid you!" The Admiral choked, kneeling beside Celestia as he placed his hoof upon her chest.

"You were controlled by the Aura... it's not your fault. I... I have never been so glad to see you." Celestia cried, reaching up with her hooves as the pulled Cloud Drop into a hug.

As the two embraced, Greff snapped another photograph; the flash from the camera not disturbing either Celestia or Cloud Drop. After being released from Celestia's still very firm hold, Cloud Drop sat himself down beside the wounded Alicorn as he looked to Greff.

"Soldier, you better make sure those pictures make it into the papers." Spoke the Admiral with a smile, wiping a solitary tear from his cheek.

"Yes, sir; I will!" Greff responded with a firm salute.

The group's attention went to the loading gate of the helicopter as a strained looking Luna appeared, her horn glowing brightly as she brought all 13 of the unconscious Soldiers aboard and moved them to the front of the aircraft, Star's body being left off to the side of Celestia. The blood-soaked blade he had attacked her with was still released from its sheath.

"This is all of them, correct, sister?!" Luna asked.

"That's it... now... let's go to a... a hospital." Strained Celestia, shutting her eyes as she leaned her head back.

Celestia let out a grunt as Luna took her in the tightest hug she had ever been in, tears steaming down Luna's cheeks and her chest heaving against Celestia's. She was starting to notice how woozy she had begun to feel, the interior of the helicopter seeming to spin.

"I... I thought I would never see you again!"

The helicopter began to take off, the rotors biting into the air as the machine turned back in the direction it had flown in from as the nose was dropped to gain speed. A strange, tingling feeling began to sweep over Celestia's body as everything seemed to become blurry.

"Keep pressure on the wounds... k-keep pressure on the wounds." Whined Celestia, her words causing Luna to release her grip and turn her attention to the bandaged punctures in her sister's stomach.

Luna complied as she pressed both front hooves to two of the wounds, Cloud Drop; who had been knelt down nearby, moved his hoof from the floor of the aircraft to help apply pressure to the third wound.

"If I had my way, your heart would have a hole through it, Star Yield!" Luna cried as her angered eyes were directed towards the unconscious body of the one Unicorn that had caused so many so much pain.

"N-No... Luna! No matter what... ever happens, don't ever k-kill anypony... don't ever..." Celestia spoke in slurred words as shock and blood loss began to take its toll.

"Celestia? How do you feel?!" Luna shouted, her teary eyes coming back to her sister.

"Dizzy. I feel dizzy... Luna."

"Do not start dying, Celestia! You cannot! I will not allow it!" Luna cried as she looked at her sister with tearful eyes.

"I won't... Luna. Just keep pressure on the wound..."

With a sniffle, Luna nodded as she continued to hold her hooves to the wounds; Cloud Drop doing the same.

"I cannot believe he stabbed you." Spoke Luna over the helicopter's noise, her teary eyes burning in Star's direction.

"He... he is just upset that his... plan... failed," Celestia chuckled, her laughter causing her to wince from the wounds in her stomach, "Y-you should have seen me, Luna; even with my broken leg... I tore into those Soldiers with such ferocity... I have never felt so alive." she spoke with a weak smile

"Your leg is broken?! Which one?"

Celestia's left leg went up, Luna's eyes fixed on the limb's blood-soaked bandages.

"Oh, 'Tia... what have they done to you?!" Cried Luna, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"A lot of damage. Too many things to explain. Luna... can I stop talking? I... I really just want to rest." Celestia spoke, straining to keep her voice high enough to be heard.

"Yes... sister, you can stop talking."

A tall, slender mare dressed in a flight suit and bright white helmet appeared from around the helicopter's internal cargo, Celestia's head rolling back to look at the Pilot.

"Princess Luna, you need to roll Celestia onto her side where the stab wounds are, and we need to find something to put her on to where her heart remains below the wounds." The Pilot informed, her voice seeming a little panicked.

"Understood! Cloud Drop, get my sleeping bag and bring it here, along with a blanket!" Commanded Luna as she and the Admiral stood from Celestia's side.

"Are you the Pilot?" Celestia asked, her eyes still trained on the mare.

"Yes, I am. Major Thunder Light; my crew knows me as Pushy," She spoke with a salute, "We are all extremely happy to see you; it's been quite the journey getting to you!"

Cloud Drop stepped past the Major as he gave Luna the rolled up sleeping bag and blanket.

"'Tia... this is going to hurt a lot, but I am going to lift you off this sled and position you as Pushy suggested."

Celestia gave a nod as she braced herself, her body being surrounded by Luna's aurora as she gently floated from the sled, pained groans escaping her lips as she was moved to her side and, with a whine of agony, sat back down upon the now unrolled sleeping bag, which had been folded strategically to prop Celestia's lower portion up.

"Perfect. That'll prevent internal bleeding and keep blood in her heart and brain." Commented Pushy as she stepped across the aircraft and began searching inside one of the several opened boxes set aside from the provisions pallets.

"How did you know to do such a thing, Pushy? I assume you have taken some class on first-aid."

"You hit the nail right on the head. It was one of the most useful classes I've ever taken," She spoke, bringing a bottle of whiskey from the box along with a few generic paper cups, "I propose a toast, for Princess Celestia; may her Highness live forever!" She shouted, a cup of whiskey being floated to Luna, Cloud Drop, Greff, and Twilight.

Each recipient took their cup, the group sharing a look before raising their vessels.

"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"
"To Princess Celestia!"

The group collectively drank down their spirits; Luna, Greff, and Twilight all coughing from the rough alcohol while Pushy and Cloud Drop had simply enjoyed their drink. Pushy's attention was brought to Celestia as she signaled with a hoof for the bottle to be given to her, and with a smile, Pushy transferred the bottle from her own magic to Celestia's as the Alicorn brought the bottle to her lips, tilting her head back and taking a full 4 swallows before giving the bottle back.

"To me!"

Author's Note

There might be errors throughout this, if you spot any hit me up so I can fix dat shit.

Nº 24: The End

Celestia's eyes fluttered open as she began to wake up; her senses barely functional as she let out a groan of pain. Her blurry vision began to clear up as she browsed over the interior of the helicopter; it was day time. Much to her relief; the aircraft appeared to be landed, her ears being safe from the horrible noise created by the machine for the moment.

A second groan came from the Alicorn as she had tried moving, every inch of her body felt a deep, extremely painful ache, for no morphine remained in her system. Looking around revealed that no one was currently aboard the helicopter, and the rear loading ramp was lowered. She could hear faint voices in the distance; it was most likely that the many crew members and passengers were outside having a meal and taking a break.

Something occurred to Celestia; the concussion spells and incapacitation spells she had used on those Soldiers and Star Yield would have kept them unconscious of a full 24 hours, and she could only guess that since they were nowhere to be seen, they had woken up. Celestia remembered falling asleep after the Pilot had called a toast to her, but couldn't remember waking up anytime between that point and now. Had she really slept for a full day?

She tried to call out to those beyond the aircraft, but the moment her mouth opened a shock of pain pulsed through her jaw. No morphine meant speaking would be a terrible endeavor. Her throat was also incredibly rough, the simple act of swallowing brought a terrible sandpaper feel.

Celestia's ears perked as she heard an odd sound come from the direction of the loading ramp. She slowly lifted her head to see what had caused the sound; her eyes catching a white object bobbing through the snow towards the ramp. Upon exiting the snow, Celestia was able to see that it had been a white kitten, it's pure white coat appearing thicker thanks to the many flakes of snow stuck to its hair. Celestia gently tapped her hoof on the metal floor of the aircraft, the kitten looking up from the spot it had been sniffing to address her.

The critter trotted across the aircraft to Celestia, stopping and sniffing her nose. The Alicorn gently giggled, the little bit of laughter causing her stomach much pain.

"Meeerow!" Called the kitten, further investigating Celestia's figure.

Her shaky, aching left hoof was brought over and set upon the kitten as she gently stroked down the creature's back. Celestia's mind had just now posed the question; where exactly had this kitten come from? The little fuzzball must belong to someone aboard the aircraft, but the question was who?

The kitten maneuvered itself out from under Celestia's large hoof as it stepped up onto her sleeping bag, pushing its way beneath the blanket draped across her. The Alicorn let a pained giggle escape her as the kitten prodded around beneath the blanket, its tiny whiskers tickling her stomach as the creature sniffed her bandages.

"I think he went inside." Spoke the voice of Cloud Drop; the kitten instantly exiting from the blanket as it heard his voice.

"Meeew!" The kitten cried, clumsily trotting to the loading ramp as the Admiral stepped through the deep snow.

"I guess you want some dinner, huh?" He sweetly asked the kitten, looking down at the creature as he stepped aboard.

Celestia rapped her hoof on the floor to get Cloud's attention, his eyes looking to the Alicorn.

"You're awake! Do you feel alright?" He asked, an excited expression coming to his face as the Admiral knelt down in front of Celestia.

"No..." She struggled.

"Why? What's wrong?"

Celestia simply pointed to her throat, trying to hold her mouth agape.

"W-what's wrong with your throat? I... are you thirsty?"

A nod was the response.

"I'll get you some water. Does your stomach feel okay?" He asked, looking back to the Alicorn as he stood and began to look around on the provisions pallet.

Celestia shook her head.

"I guess it just hurts a lot?" The Admiral inquired, his words eliciting a nod.

Cloud took a water bottle from one of the boxes, the bottle being surrounded by Celestia's aurora as it floated to her.

"We spent a while re-doing all of the bandages on your stomach. You've lost quite a bit of blood. We'll be to Canterlot Central Medical Center soon enough; we just passed the Stalliongradian border and stopped for some R&R." He explained as Celestia took several swallows from the bottle, her throat now feeling much better.

"You look horrible." Spoke the Admiral after a moment, his face taking a sad expression.

Celestia nodded with a light smile.

"I guess you won't talk because of your jaw?"

There came a second nod.

"Uh... well... tap the floor of you need anything more. I'll find you a piece of paper and a pen so you can write messages."

Celestia set her head back down as Cloud Drop walked to the front of the aircraft, his kitten remaining sat by the door. Upon seeing the Alicorn looking at it, the kitten stood and walked to Celestia, nuzzling its head against her muzzle.

"Here; now, in the future, you can actually communicate," Cloud spoke as he rounded the provision pallet.

The pad and pen were dropped to Celestia's side, the kitten stepping to the items to smell them.

"Oh, I see you've met Doorbell. I found him out in the snow near Star Yield's house a while ago." Casually explained the Admiral.

Celestia's magic took the pen and paper as she wrote, turning the pad to Cloud to reveal the word 'doorbell?'.

"Yeah, I named him Doorbell. Touch him, you'll see why."

Her hoof was slowly moved to the kitten, who had been paying zero attention to either of the two.

"Mreeeeow!" Called Doorbell, flipping around to address Celestia after she had tapped him.

"See?"

Celestia nodded with a bright smile.

"You need anything else?" Asked the Admiral after a moment.

After some scribbling, the word 'morphine' was revealed to him.

"Uh... I don't think we have any onboard..." He responded, looking around inside.

The pad was held pack up: 'find my backpack there is morphine inside"

"Backpack? You never had a backpack..."

Celestia brought her hoof down onto the metal floor with a clank.

'i left it in tisy nevermind' Read the pad, Celestia's expression showing frustration.

"Oh... well, sorry... I guess you'll just have to bear with things." He spoke with sympathy.

'its ok i dont need anymore of that stuff in me'

"Ah... I bet you've been sticking yourself full of morphine ever since you escaped from that house."

The Alicorn nodded.

"Mh... well, I'm gonna give Doorbell some food, then I'll let you rest. Glad to see you're still alive, at least." Cloud Spoke as he walked past the provisions to the front of the helicopter, the kitten following gleefully.

Celestia put her pad and pen down to her side as she relaxed, her head resting back down to her sleeping bag mattress. A few gentle shifts of her body initially caused a great amount of agony, but ultimately made her much more comfortable. Her situation reminded her of the last days she had spent in the cell; extreme pain came from every movement, nearly immobilizing her except for several occasions when she had gained enough strength to stand herself upright.

She had felt extremely weak and vulnerable, but even in her currently more wounded state, she felt no fear, or weakness, or vulnerability. She felt safe; she finally had peace of mind. For so long had she lived in constant fear of what the future would bring, but now; her thoughts remained calm.

"I'll let everyone outside know you woke up and you're doing fine... for the most part. Do you want me to tell everypony to not bother you?" Cloud's voice asked as he stepped back into the rear of the helicopter.

Celestia's pad and pen were brought back up as she wrote, 'yes tell everypony thanks for their hard work to help me.'

"Alright. Have good dreams, Celestia."

She watched as Cloud exited down the loading ramp towards where she could only assume everyone else was located. A smile remained on her expression as Celestia got more comfortable and began to drift back to sleep. She couldn't recall a time where the Admiral had called her by her name.

Celestia's ears were filled with the rumble of the helicopter's engine and rotors as she came back from her slumber; her eyes failing to see anything more than blurred black and red shapes. After her vision had cleared, she was able to see that her sister sat asleep in one of the many fold-down chairs within the helicopter, her slouched figure covered in a dark green blanket.

She looked to the rear of the aircraft to see that the loading gate of the aircraft was lowered partially, the photographer Crew Chief standing off to the side of the door with his camera. She looked on as he peeked through the viewfinder, his magic fiddling with the lens and numerous controls upon the finely crafted device as he snapped a photo of the beautiful sunset beyond.

His lips moved as he spoke into his headset to the rest of the Crew, his eye never leaving the camera's viewfinder. After taking another picture, he gently released the camera as it fell to his chest, it's descent being stopped by a lanyard around his neck. The Chief turned from the door as he sat down on a seat separated from the rest, his eyes still drawn to the outside of the helicopter.

Celestia looked back over to Luna before shutting her eyes, sighing as she tried to get back to sleep. She still had no idea how long she had slept for, but it was safe to assume she had been out for around 3 to 4 hours from her previous point of awakening. Her eyes opened back up as the clunk of hooves on metal came over the sounds of the helicopter, Celestia slowly looking up to see one of the helicopter's Crew members accessing the provisions pallets; their identity unable to be decerned as the lighting inside was far too dim to make out details.

The Crew's identity was instantly realized when Celestia saw a half empty bottle of liquor float from a box. With a smile, Celestia let her head fall back to the floor as she continued to attempt returning to her rest.

Pure white contrast poured into Celestia's squinted eyes as she came to from her unconscious state, her head gently rolling side to side as she tried to see where she was. After a moment, her senses returned to their functions; Celestia began to realize the horrible ache throughout her body was no more. A slight panic took over her thoughts as she still tried to see where ever she was. Had she died in her sleep? Why did nothing hurt anymore?

A little shift of her body filled her ears with the sounds of rustling sheets, it was clear she was in some kind of bed. Her eyes began to adjust to the bright light as she was able to make out that she was in some kind of white room. Relief fell over the Alicorn as she looked around and the still bright environment, her vision still failing to make out details.

After a moment's time, she was able to see all of the things within the room; there were many personal belongings spread around inside, but no one was to be seen. Looking to her left revealed the array of medically oriented devices she had been hooked up to; hanging on a special rack were a blood bag, Saline bag, and a morphine drip, the three bags being attached to the meat of her upper right leg via an IV.

Celestia had also just now noticed that her nose had two small tubes poked into each nostril, the main tube leading to an oxygen machine sitting beside her heart rate monitor, which had been filling the room with a periodic yet quiet beep. She began to notice that her view position in the room wasn't aligned with the walls, it appeared that she was slightly crooked. Carefully, Celestia raised her head from her pillows as she looked across her figure; she was lying on her right side across two hospital beds that had been put side to side to accommodate her size.

More self-observance showed Celestia that her left leg was now firmly fixed within a cast and her head was host to a pair of bandages; one wrapping around her temple to cover the small spot behind her head where Red Hoof had performed his surgery, and one wrapped vertically around her head to keep her jaw in place.

Feeling a little chilly, Celestia's horn came to life as she pulled a thick, woolen blanket at the end of the bed up to her chest. She resumed investigating the room, her eyes wandering to the bright outside world beyond the room's tall window. Off in the distance, she was able to see Canterlot Castle perched upon its mountain side. The sight of her home filled Celestia with much happiness as she stared at the castle for a good while before pulling her sight back indoors. At the other end of her room were 4 chairs around a small, square table; each piece of furniture having heavy winter clothes draped across them.

She was able to identify a thick, black coat she was sure belonged to her sister. Where were Luna and the rest of her friends? Although she was certain she couldn't talk, (yet she had not attempted to do so) she wanted to see them. She was sure Twilight's group of friends would also be somewhere in the hospital waiting to see her, as well. She had been a little amazed that they weren't in the helicopter when it had arrived in Tisy. Celestia's eyes were drawn to the door as it opened, a fairly attractive nurse dressed in baby blue scrubs stepping in with a clipboard held in her magic. The nurse's teal eyes went to Celestia's as she realized the Alicorn was conscious.

"Princess! You're awake! You've been out for a good 48 hours." She said, placing the clipboard on a hook at the end of the rightmost bed.

"I know you can't really talk, so that Stallion with the eyepatch told me to give you this to communicate." Informed the nurse as her pinkish aurora lifted the same pad and pen she had been given however long ago.

Celestia took the writing items in her own magic and began to scribble something on the pad, 'where is everypony', it read.

"They're all currently out to lunch. I'll see if I can fetch them. It's good to have you back, your Highness!" The nurse said with a smile as she stepped back out of the room.

Celestia's head went back to her pillow as she looked back out the window. For the longest time, she didn't ever believe she really would make it to a hospital. Around twenty minutes had gone by before the door to her room finally opened, Luna, Cloud Drop, and Twilight Sparkle walking in.

"Thank the stars! You have finally woken up!" Luna cheered as she trotted to her sister's side.

Celestia's right hoof went to Luna's as she looked to her young sister with a bright smile.

"I am so sorry this has happened to you... 'Tia. This is all my fault... I should have never created that spell!" Whined Luna, her expression becoming one of sorrow.

Luna's eyes were drawn to a notepad and pen as they were floated from beside Celestia as she began to write. 'its not your fault. its no ponys fault. i am so happy to see you.' Celestia's body was taken by Luna's front legs as she hugged her sister tight.

"I am happy to see you, as well, 'Tia." Luna said quietly, nuzzling her face into Celestia's neck.

The white Alicorn looked up to Twilight and Cloud Drop, who were standing at the end of the bed.

"Every minute of every hour, I missed you. I-I would wake and go to the dining hall for breakfast to find you were not there... I would walk past your door to see no Guards posted... I-I would step through the halls of our Castle surrounded by images of you... b-but now, you are here... and you are alive!!" Cried Luna, her chest heaving as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Celestia's vision became blurred as she too began tearing up, her hoof patting Luna's shoulder. The younger Alicorn's embrace was released, Luna taking a step back as her eyes remained locked with Celestia's.

"Seeing you is like seeing a ghost..." She spoke after a moment, still looking to her sister.

The pad and pen were taken up; 'for the longest time i thought that when i would finally see you it would be our last time together'.

"W-what do you mean?" Asked Luna, drying her eyes with a hoof.

Celestia's expression was one of pain and sorrow as she wrote on her pad, pausing every once and a while as she hesitated if she should actually tell Luna how she had felt.

'when i was in the cell i thought that you were the one having me tortured. it got so bad that i kept having nightmares of you doing things to me. i imagined you were in the cell one day, and i screamed at you saying that i would break out and hurt you. i kept thinking of how i would do it. im so happy that reality never came true. as long as i live, Luna; i will never harm you. i am sorry for what i did in the past; nothing like that shall ever happen again.'

Reading what her sister had written only brought more ache to Luna's heart, fresh tears coming to her eyes.

"You thought of... killing me?"

Celestia responded with a pained nod, her breath stifled as she held back her tears.

"I sometimes wish Star Yield didn't possess the Aura so that I could have somepony to let rot in a dungeon for their remaining years. Whatever those monsters did to you... I cannot imagine what it was like..." Luna growled with a furrowed brow.

"What did she write?" Cloud Drop asked as he stepped over to Luna.

Celestia's note pad was floated to Cloud's view, the Admiral's mouth hanging open as he read what was written.

"You're right, your Highness. I wish we had somepony to throw in a dungeon for this."

Celestia brought her pad back to herself; 'lets stop talking about what we cant fix, it's upsetting me.', It read.

"You are right, sister. I too no longer wish for anger or sorrow."

'where are your friends?' The notepad read as it was floated to Twilight.

"Oh, they'll be here soon. I sent a letter to Spike explaining everything."

'what about Starry?'

"Princess Luna got rid of that spell and... well, just kinda sent him on his way. He should be at his house right now."

"I could not stand to have him in my sight, even if his mind was under the Aura's control." Commented Luna.

'did he remember anything? i dont know the process for removing that spell.' The pad read as it was given to Luna.

"Yes; he remembered everything. The spell being removed only effects the last few days of the carrier's memory. He was extremely upset with himself and was worried that his reputation would be negatively affected by his actions while under the Aura."

'make sure that his reputation isnt tarnished by the newspapers or anything. that would be unfair.'

"I agree," Luna paused, giving a chuckle at her thought, "How many enemies have we collectively defeated to where there was a clear someone to blame? This is the first time no one has been punished for actions taken against either of us. Although... once more, if there was somepony to be blamed, it would be myself. I know you object to my saying so, but it is true."

'do you want to be punished? i can arrange that.' Wrote Celestia with a smile.

"No, sister; I am fine."

'did you ever suspect my death to be anything more than an accident? I was told by Star Yield that he had my death faked. funeral and everything.'

"Actually... I did not. I was so occupied in taking your place that it never crossed my mind. Ms. Sparkle; however, was very adamant about getting to the bottom your 'accident'."

"What did she ask?" Spoke Twilight from the side.

"'Tia wondered if I ever suspected wrongdoing in her death."

"Aah. Yeah... I spent a good 3 to 4 hours every day looking into that crash and investigating things. I even broke into the Library to steal documents the Princess had specifically restricted. I was able to figure out that your helicopter was shot down, but I never had a chance to break into your tomb and find out if your body really was there. I was kind of mad when Admiral Cloud Drop showed up at my front door one evening and explained everything to me. All that work I had done kind of went to waste." Finished Twilight with a chuckle.

'has Luna done a good job of keeping everything running?'

"I'd say so. Princess, Celestia's wondering if you've done a good job in her place."

"Oh... well, I have thought so, and those around me have said so."

'have you enjoyed being Equestria's ruler?' The pad read to Luna.

Luna stammered a bit. "It... has been enjoyable, yes. It is an exciting job; making our nation's decisions is stressful on occasion."

'how would you like to do it for another thousand years?'

Luna took a pause as she read Celestia's words.

"You... you want me to continue in your place once you are well?"

"Y-yes... Luna. I do." Spoke Celestia for the first time in 3 days, a little pain coming to her jaw.

"I do not know what to say."

"Say yes." Returned Equestria's previous ruler with a bright smile.

"Yes, I will take your place! But... you are sure?"

Celestia nodded.

"I think it's your time to do something great."

Nº 0: Epilogue

"Добрый день, любовь!"

(Good afternoon, love!) Valinka called from upstairs as she heard the front door open.

"Добрый день! Как прошел твой день?"
(Good afternoon! How was your day?) Returned Pavel as he shut the door and began walking upstairs.

"Обычно."
(The usual.)

The two exchanged a short kiss as Pavel made his way to the top of the stairs.

"Тоже самое. Это было довольно тепло сегодня, я, конечно, чрезмерно одетым."
(Same here. It's been fairly warm today, I was certainly over-dressed.)

"Термометр сказал это было 16 по Цельсию сегодня. Удивительно, что есть еще снег."
(The thermometer said it was 16 Celsius out today. It's a wonder there's still snow.)

"Это апрель и есть еще хороший 30 сантиметров в полях. Мы должны делать, как ваш отец предложил и двигаться вниз на юг к столице."
(It's April and there's still a good 30 centimeters in the fields. We should do as your father suggested and move down south to the Capital.) Pavel said with a smile as he walked into the home's bedroom.

The two paused as the home shook; the rumble of a helicopter passing overhead rattling the windows.

"Кто-то получил травму, я думаю. Это будет второй раз в этом месяце."
(Somepony else got hurt, I guess. That will be the second time this month.) Valinka Commented.

"Я не знаю, любовь. Это звучало намного глубже, чем обычный вертолет, который показывает вверх."
(I do not know, love. That sounded a lot deeper than the usual helicopter that shows up.) Responded Pavel as he walked from the bedroom towards the stairs.

Valinka followed her husband outside as they looked to the direction of the aircraft that had arrived; their eyes catching a large, dark green dual rotor aircraft with 'ROYAL AIR GUARD' painted on its side as it approached the field behind Tisy's Clinic.

"Вертолет Royal Air Guard? Ты думаешь...?"
(A Royal Air Guard helicopter? Do you think...?)

"То, что это принцесса Селестия? Я не знаю, но я готов поспорить, что это есть."
(That it is Princess Celestia? I do not know, but I am willing to bet it is.) Pavel spoke with a smile as he and Valinka began down the street towards the Clinic.

Upon reaching the stairs at the base of the clinic, the two stopped dead in their tracks as the two front doors to the Clinic swung open, an impressively tall, bright white Alicorn adorned in her usual gold attire stepping outside; a shorter, navy blue Alicorn to her side.

"Pavel! Valinka!" Beamed Celestia as she hurried down the stairs; her now proper crutch slowing her progress by a little.

"Ты вернулся! Это так замечательно видеть вас, Селестия!"
(You came back! It is so wonderful to see you, Celestia!) Responded Valinka as she and Pavel met their friend halfway down the stairs.

"Да! Да! Это здорово, чтобы увидеть вас обоих еще раз!"
(Yes! Yes! It is great to see the two of you once more!)

Celestia sat back on the stairs as she took the two with her front legs, pulling them into her chest and wrapping her wings around them.

"Ваш объятие не получил какой-либо слабее."
(Your hug did not get any weaker.) Commented Pavel as the overjoyed Alicorn released him and Valinka.

"Я не должен надеяться! Я делал быстрое восстановление, как я уверен, что вы можете сказать."
(I should hope not! I have been making a quick recovery as I am sure you can tell.)

The group began back down the wooden stairs, Princess Celestia smiling and waving at the several Stalliongradians that had been passing by.

"It will be wonderful to finally be acquainted with these two. You have spoken very highly of them, sister." Princess Luna commented with a smile as the four walked, Valinka and Pavel off to Celestia's side.

"It is good to be back in this town after so long. I'd kind of like to show you where everything happened."

"Я так рад видеть, что ты выздоровел от всего. Это было шоком видеть вас без каких-либо повязок."
(I am so happy to see that you've recovered from everything. It was shocking to see you without any bandages.) Pavel injected, looking up at Celestia.

"Единственное, что до сих пор со мной не так это нога. На следующий день врачи очистили меня ходить сам по себе, я договорился, чтобы прийти сюда и посетить вас двоих."
(The only thing still wrong with me is this leg. The day the doctors cleared me to walk on my own I made arrangements to come up here and visit you two.)

"Прошло четыре месяца, и вы по-прежнему нужен костыль для этого ноги? Я никогда не понимал, как плохо было."
(It's been four months and you still need a crutch for that leg? I never realized how bad it was.)

"Это был худший из моих травм, за исключением ножа в моем животе. Вы двое были хорошо?"
(It was the worst of my injuries, save for the knife to my stomach. Have you two been well?)

"Вещи были нормально, так как вы были здесь в последний раз. Павел, и я получил немного больше внимания, чем мы обычно делаем на некоторое время."
(Things have been normal since you were last here. Pavel and I got a little more attention than we normally did after you left.) Valinka said as the four arrived at a certain home.

Celestia looked at the little two story house as she sighed, memories coming back to her like a flood.

"Должны ли мы войти внутрь?"
(Shall we come inside?) She finally spoke, looking back to Valinka and Pavel.

"Конечно! Я рад видеть принцесса Луна здесь с вами; встречи с ней будет хорошо!"
(Of course! I am glad to see Princess Luna is here with you; meeting her will be nice!) Chirped Pavel as he opened the door, holding it open as Celestia and Luna came inside.

"Mr. Minsky says he's excited to finally meet you, Luna."

"Tell him I feel the same way."

"Моя сестра рада встретить вас двоих; также. Я много говорил ей."
(My sister is pleased to meet the two of you; as well. I have told her a lot.) Celestia said as she and Luna took a seat in the home's couch.

After making herself comfortable, Celestia's eyes looked over the interior of the home, a smile still upon her expression as she reminisced.

"It hasn't changed a bit. Well, Luna; this is where I lived for four days. Cozy, isn't it?"

"A little small for my likings,"

"That's amusing! I am the tall one and yet you are the one to say it's too small!"

Celestia and Luna shared a chuckle. A gasp came from Celestia as she noticed a particular item hung from the wall of the staircase; it was the sheet tray she had been lent.

"Вы держали эту вещь? Я никогда не думал, что я был бы рад видеть поднос листа!"
(You kept that thing? I never thought I would be happy to see a sheet tray!) Celestia spoke as she turned to Valinka.

"Конечно, я держал его! Ваш рюкзак в другой комнате, а также. Павел схватил его после того, как мы помогли вам на вертолете."
(Of course I kept it! Your backpack is in the other room, as well. Pavel grabbed it after we helped you onto the helicopter.)

"Я не верю этому! Зачем вы держите эту сумку?"
(I do not believe that! Why would you keep that bag?) Responded Celestia with a hearty laugh.

"Вы сказали, что ты вернешься, так что мы оба думали, что вы можете видеть, что это в последний раз."
(You said you would come back, so we both thought that you might want to see it one last time.) Pavel informed.

"Ну ... это просто слишком много. Ой! Это напоминает мне!"
(Well... that is just too much. Oh! That reminds me!)

Celestia's horn came to life as a shiny new sheet tray was teleported into the room.

"Я обещал, что заменить, что один."
(I promised I'd replace that one.) She said with a smile.

"Вы не должны! Я пошутил только тогда, когда я сказал, что лист лоток был мой любимый!"
(You should not have! I was only joking when I said that sheet tray was my favorite!) Valinka responded as she took the tray from Celestia's magic, examining the object.

Engraved on the back of the sheet tray in very exquisite font read the words: 'Будем надеяться, что это не будет использоваться в войне. Для Valinka Мински и Павла Мински; Пусть наша дружба в прошлом к солнцу и обратно.' (Hopefully, this one won't be used in a war. To Valinka Minsky and Pavel Minsky; may our friendship last to the sun and back.) Valinka's mouth remained open as she read the inscription, her lip quivering.

"Y-вы не должны иметь, Селестией!"
(Y-you should not have, Celestia!) She spoke with teary eyes.

"Моя сестра предложила мне, чтобы не иметь ничего выгравированный на лотке, как это может сделать вас не хотите использовать его, но я сделал это в любом случае."
(My sister suggested for me to not have anything engraved on the tray, as it might make you not want to use it, but I did it anyway.)

"Я буду использовать это каждый шанс, я получаю! Спасибо огромное!"
(I will use this every chance I get! Thank you so much!) Valinka cried, putting the tray on the table as she moved to give Celestia a warm hug.

"не нужны спасибо. Я до сих пор чувствую, как будто я должен сказать спасибо вам и Павла для всей доброты вы показали мне. Той ночью я дрался Star Yield ... когда мы все заснули перед огнем, я чувствовал, что у меня был дом и семью."
(No thanks are needed. I still feel as if I should say thanks to you and Pavel for all the kindness you showed me. That night I fought Star Yield... when we all had fallen asleep before the fire, I felt like I had a home and a family.)

With tears of her own starting to well in her eyes, Celestia let Valinka go as she wiped her own eyes with a hoof.

"Пока Павел и я живу, вы будете иметь семью здесь, в Тисы."
(As long as Pavel and I live, you will have family here in Tisy.)

The group conversed for a fair hour before Celestia and Luna said their goodbyes and began back down the street towards the Clinic, many tears of happiness had been shed between Celestia and her two friends. Since she had first gotten back into the town, a silent thought had blanketed everything in her mind.

She knew that one day Valinka and Pavel would become old and pass as every friend she had ever made had done. It was a thought Celestia wished she didn't have to think about, but death had very much been on her mind since her very close encounter with it. She shook the thought from her mind once more as she and Luna boarded their helicopter. It was a simple fact of life: the good things will eventually pass on; even immortality was no way to escape such a truth.

One can only hope to cherish the good while it is present; hold on to the brightness when there is darkness, and never forget joyous times, even if doing so brings pain to the heart.

Nº 1: Day In the Life

Author's Note

Just a bit of FYI: this very first chapter came to fruition a full 3 and a half years ago. Over that time I slowly wrote the story, so if you think the writing is a little poor here; I assure you, it gets better.

Nº 1: Day In the Life

"Luna? What are you doing up so late?" Princess Celestia asked as she stepped into a large, dimly lit room.

It was 11:23 AM at Canterlot, a normal time for normal ponies, but seeing the Princess of the Night up past 10:00 was a strange sight.

"Is it not fantastic? The sheer power of a blizzard is incredible." Responded the dark blue Alicorn after taking a bite of a toasted croissant with jelly.

Celestia stepped to her sister's side to join her in looking out the tall window at the powerful winter storm outside the Castle. The brute force of the wind caused the glass panels of the window to chatter, a low howl emanating from the cracks in between the panes.

"It is a spectacular site, I'd hate to be out in it," Celestia said, walking away from her spot beside Luna and coming to the large table in the middle of the dining hall.

"I would love to be in it."

Celestia returned to the side of her sister with a small, white plate floating in her magical embrace. On the plate were four strawberries, a small dish of melted chocolate and a square of Angel Food cake.

"Why would you want to be caught in a snow storm?"

Luna took another bite of her snack.

"It would be fun. I hear most citizens enjoy sunny days, but I find the contrary to be far more enjoyable."

Ever since they were foals Luna had been in love with extreme weather.

"I suppose it would be appropriate for me to enjoy sunny days, I am the Princess of the Day after all."

Luna continued to look out the window and eat her croissant.

"So, I asked why you were still up?"

"Oh, the blizzard; I could not fall asleep whilst this wonderful storm was brewing."

A few moments passed before Luna slid herself closer to Celestia's side, lightly nuzzling her tall sister.

"I never get to talk to you," She said quietly, a sad tone to her voice.

Celestia didn't respond. She was too surprised by the sudden act from Luna. After a moment, she unfurled her large white wing, draping it over Luna. In response, Luna tucked Celestia's wing under her own.

"I wish we could get more time together, Luna. Once this situation between Stalliongrad and the Gryphon Kingdom clears out we'll have all the time we could ever want."

Celestia felt Luna move closer. Memories of when she and Luna were young flashed back into her mind. She remembered when their Mother and Father had passed, and how moments before her Mother's final breath she had told Celestia to never let Luna slip away from her.

"You are a lot like the snow, 'Tia," Luna said, snapping Celestia out of her thoughts.

"How so?"

"You are calm when there is no wind, but when the wind becomes stronger, you become stronger. You can be violent, terrifying and powerful. I like that about you, and the snow. I find myself feeling safe when in your company."

Celestia chuckled, looking down at her young sister.

"Interesting comparison. I don't think I've ever been compared to snow."

"That, and you are white and fluffy... and old," Luna spoke jokingly, poking fun at her sister's age more than comparing her to the snow.

"I am not o-- you are right I am old. I'm going to be 1,793 years old in a while. Wait, how is snow old? It melts away every 5 months." Came the response from Celestia.

There was a knock at the entrance to the Dining hall, stood at the double doors of the hall was a dark grey Pegasus with a white mane. He was not dressed in normal armor, he wore neither a helmet nor the standard issue gold boots. He only wore a chest plate, stomach plate, and back plate, all of which except the stomach plate had been painted in a three-tone green camouflage scheme. His belly plate was nearly the same dark grey as his coat. The first thing most in the castle noticed when meeting this Pegasus, Admiral Cloud Drop, was his eye patch. Along with the eye patch was a scar across the top of his muzzle. He had received the wound in a minor conflict back when he ranked First Lieutenant. An arrow from an unseen archer took out his eye, continuing on and slicing the top of his muzzle. Celestia remembered the first time she saw him after he received his wound, and ever since the incident he had seemed a little different.

"Your Majesty, there's a messenger here to see you," Cloud Drop said, his deep voice echoing through the hall.

"Who in Equestria has come here during a blizzard?" She asked in more of a sarcastic manner.

"He's from Stalliongrad, one of Mikhail's men."

"Oh, that explains a lot, I actually know who is here to see me."

Celestia put her plate back down on the large table, walking towards the door, Luna following behind her.

The dining hall was moderately close to the Central Wing of the castle, where the main entrance and Throne room were located. Only a few minutes after departing, the trio reached the Throne room. The Throne room was one of the largest and most decorative rooms in the entire castle, which was appropriate since it is the first thing one sees when entering the Castle. Standing near the entrance was what seemed to be a pony. The pony had a large, thick coat on, along with a scarf, thick goggles, and fur boots, all of which were covered in a dusting of ice and snow. The large bag on his back had a pan, lantern and a bundle of rope hanging off the side. Celestia knew the pony very well, but at first glance, it was hard to tell if the color of his coat was white because he was born with it that way, or if it was covered in so much icy snow that one could not see under.

"Андрей, мой друг! Что привело вас сюда в холодный день, как это?"
(Andrei, my friend! What brings you here on a cold day like this?) Celestia asked in Prussian, one of the many foreign languages she spoke fluently.

"Ситуация с грифоньей царства ухудшилось, ваше величество"
(The situation with the Gryphon Kingdom has worsened, your Majesty.) Andrei responded.

"Я не понимаю, почему Михаил и король Птичий не обойтись"
(I don't understand why Mikhail and King Avian won't get along.)
Celestia responded as she sat herself down in a large, golden throne. Luna followed suit and sat in a throne of equal size, but (in her opinion) of greater beauty. It was styled with black and silver highlights, complementing the dark blue color of the throne and Princess Luna, who blended in with the large seat.

"I always forget that you speak so many languages, sister," Said Luna.

"I've had a lot of spare time on my hooves," Celestia responded with a smile.

"I speak Equestrian, but not very good," Andrei said, causing Luna to look up.

"I've always spoken Prussian around Andrei, It's more polite."

"I not mind a lot. I should speak more Equestrian so I learn more... oh! Vait a moment, I get something..." Andrei said as he dropped his backpack on the floor, the lantern and pan clanking from the impact.

After a moment of digging in his back, Andrei pulled out a scroll, unrolling it across the floor.

"'I vequest that the Princess Celestia meet at the Kremlin for an emergency meeting, tensions are mounting and I fear that military actions will soon be taken.' The note also say that the meeting is held on the 17th of zis month." He concluded, rolling the scroll back up and placing it inside of his bag.

"Today is the... 13th, right?" Celestia asked, looking over at Cloud Drop, who was standing in between the two Princess's thrones.

"14th, your highness." Cloud Drop whispered.

"17th is too soon, is it?" Andrei asked.

"Well, it is rather close to Hearth's Warming, how long will the meeting last?" Celestia asked with a concerned tone to her voice.

"Meeting should last a day. I do forget mention that Mikhail request Military re-enfo...en..."

"Re-enforcements," Celestia corrected.

"Yes, re-enforcements, thank you."

"Back-up? Why would he need back-up? Your forces aren't strong enough to counter the Gryphons?" Cloud Drop asked, stepping forward from in between the Princess's thrones.

"I think Mikhail say if more troops we have, Gryphons won't attack."

"Fight fire with fire. Mikhail's got good ideas," Cloud Drop said, thinking aloud more than anything.

"You will be home in time for Hearths Warming, right, 'Tia?" Luna asked, looking to her sister.

Luna noticed Cloud Drop sigh momentarily after she spoke.

"Of course, I don't think it could take more than a few days."

"That is all news I bring. Have good day." Andrei stated as he began to gather his things.

"Wait, I can't let you go back out into that storm!" Celestia called, standing up from her throne.

"I can take care of snow. Is no problem." Andrei responded.

"You have been standing there for five minutes, you don't want to take even the smallest break? There are left-overs from breakfast." Celestia said in a cooing tone.

"Okey I will be staying then!"

Celestia smiled, waiting for Andrei to gather his things back off the floor.

"Please, you first. You are the guest," She said as Andrei walked past.

The group was soon back at the Dining hall, Luna had returned to her spot next to the window, Cloud Drop had gotten himself a glass of whiskey and a bunch of grapes, and Celestia and Andrei were seated at the end of the table. A rather large plate of croissant, scrambled eggs, baked potato bits, and pancakes sat in front of Andrei, while Celestia (on a much lighter note) had only a small, chocolate pudding cup levitating in her magical embrace.

"I find it funny that out of all the luxuries you enjoy, your favorite item is store-bought pudding cups," Cloud Drop spoke as he took a sip of the dark, yet crystal clear, alcoholic drink he held in his hoof.

"These little treats are fantastic, and I couldn't begin to explain why I like them. I like them so much I had Twilight Sparkle buy a pack and keep it in her fridge for whenever I visit." Celestia chuckled, using her magic to dip her silver plated spoon in the pudding.

Cloud Drop took the bunch of grapes in his hoof, popping one off. He got Celestia and Andrei's attention, motioning with his hoof that he was going to throw the small green grape and Luna. Celestia smirked, nodding quickly, while Andrei continued stuffing his mouth.

"Act like you didn't see what happen." Cloud Drop whispered quietly enough for the two to hear him, but not Luna.

He adjusted his aim, and flicked the grape through the air, quickly putting the bunch grapes back on the table and returning to his drink. The grape hit Luna in the back of her head, causing her to flip around. Cloud Drop was quietly sipping at his drink, Andrei was eating like it was his last meal, and Celestia was clearly trying to hold in a giggle. Luna levitated the grape into the air, sending it flying towards Celestia, the grape hitting her on the cheek.

"Wha-what was that for?" She retorted.

Cloud Drop laughed loudly, a mist of whiskey becoming airborne from his burst of laughter, Andrei was shaking his head and smiling.

"You threw a grape at me!" Luna whined.

A second later, another grape hit her in the neck, she looked over at Cloud Drop, who was still holding the bunch of grapes that had spawned the green projectile. He had a cheeky grin on his face.

"You owe me an apology, Luna! Blaming me for throwing grapes at you!" Celestia laughed.

"I can never get a break from the shenanigans..." Luna said, shaking her head and smiling as she sat down at the table adjacent from Cloud Drop.

"You are the most unprofessional group of professionals I've ever seen." A male voice said from the other side of the Dining hall.

The four looked at one of the guards standing near the door of the hall, a smile on his face.

"Being unprofessional is my part-time job around here," Celestia said, turning back around and taking another bite of her nearly empty pudding cup.

"I have noticed. It is getting late, so I think it is time for me to "hit the sack" as I have heard ponies say," Luna said as she stood back up from the table.

"I'll come with you, I haven't put you to bed in a while," Celestia called, standing up as she finished the last spoon of pudding.

"Should I come with, your majesty?" Cloud Drop asked.

"No, it's fine, I'll be back in a few minutes. приятного аппетита, Андрей! Я увижу вас завтра."
(Enjoy your meal, Andrei! I will see you in due time.) Celestia called, Andrei gave a small wave goodbye.

The two sisters exited from the dining hall. As they left, Luna heard Cloud Drop ask Andrei, in a sarcastic tone, if he liked pancakes. After around 3 minutes of walking, the two had reached Luna's personal quarters.

"Your quarters are cleaner than the last time I was in here," Celestia said, looking at the area around her younger sister's desk.

"I did a small amount of cleaning yesterday. Clutter is upsetting." Luna responded, walking past her big sister and entering her bathroom, the door shutting behind her.

Celestia continued standing near the door for a moment before walking over to Luna's living room. The room had a large dome ceiling, a crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the dome. At the center of the room was a small, dark wood coffee table, two very large reading chairs surrounding it and the fireplace that was directly in front of the table. Celestia walked over to the fireplace, noticing that the logs inside had been burnt already. She levitated two new logs out of a brass holding rack, placing the logs in the fireplace with a clank as they settled on the metal rack inside the fireplace. The sound of the bathroom door opening caused Celestia to turn around, her younger sister walking into the living room.

"Making a fire?" She asked, walking in and laying down on a small bed near the fireplace.

"It's a bit nippy in here." Celestia responded as her horn lit up, the bottom log catching fire seconds after.

After pulling the glass spark cover over the fire, Celestia sat down in the chair closest to Luna, watching as her sister removed her crown, chest plate, and shoes, setting them down on the floor beside her.

"Are you going to sleep there and not in your normal bed?"

"Since you built a fire, yes."

Luna stretched out her legs, yawning loudly as she got more comfortable.

"You will be home in time for Hearth's Warming, right?" Luna asked.

"Of course, I've got a full week to try and pour some water on this political fire between these two knob-heads."

"Good, I have prepared a very nice gift for you!" Luna exclaimed gleefully.

"Speaking of gifts, I have quite the gift for Cloud Drop." Celestia returned, a bright smile on her face.

"What is it?"

"Well, I've mentioned before that he doesn't have a very nice home, right?"

Luna's face lit up with surprise.

"Are you going to..."

"Build him a new home?" Celestia finished, cutting Luna's sentence short.

Luna's smile widened.

"I can not believe that you are getting him a new home!"

"I can't either. I've already gotten a location picked and blueprints drawn out. He deserves a new home, I've known him for nearly 20 years now, and he's been my Strategic Advisor, Adjutant, and personal Guard for 15."

"Can you imagine how happy he will be?" Luna asked.

"Oh, I know. I can't wait."

There was a loud pop from the fireplace, a small ember ejecting from the small blaze and bouncing off the glass spark-guard, landing on the floor and slowly burning out.

"No, bad fire." Celestia scolded, causing Luna to giggle.

"Do you see, sister? These are the times I wish for us to spend together. All you have to get me for Hearth's Warming is a night... or day, of time with you," Luna said, leaning her head back and looking at the ceiling.

"Well... I guess I'm getting you two presents." Celestia returned, a warm smile on her face.

Nº 4: Discoveries and Despair

"Twilight? Twilight get up!"

Twilight Sparkle slowly opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Spike's green eyes staring into hers.

"Uuuhng, what is it, Spike? It's still dark out." She asked, sitting up in bed and rubbing her eyes.

"There's a bunch of Royal Guards at the town square, they're gathering everyone in town for some kind of meeting," Spike said.

Twilight got herself out of bed, feeling a little more awake after Spike explained why he had awoken her. She put on a coat and scarf as she left her bedroom and down the stairs of the Library, Spike following behind her. Twilight opened the door to her library, a cold breeze flowing inside as the two walked out of their home.

"Why would Royal Guards be calling a meeting? That doesn't make sense. If something was wrong I would have gotten a letter from Princess Celestia by now," Twilight said as she and Spike walked through the snowy, dimly lit streets.

After traversing a frozen river via a curved stone bridge, Twilight caught a glimpse of the crowd gathered at the town square. It looked like every single pony in the town was there.

"Twilight! Over here!" A familiar female voice called, Twilight looking up to see Rainbow Dash hovering above the crowd.

Twilight pushed her way through the sea of ponies to where Rainbow was hovering, below her was the rest of Twilight's friends, Apple Jack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy.

"Twilight, do you know what's going on?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Yeah, why did the Guards wake everypony up?" Pinkie Pie added, a concerned look on her face.

"I have no idea, but... something's wrong."

"Alright, is that everypony!?" A dark gray Pegasus guard called, hovering in the air above the crowd. Twilight recognized him as Admiral Cloud Drop, Celestia's personal guard and, from what she understood, military tactician and adviser.

There was a collective 'I don't know' murmur from the crowd.

"Well, it looks like everypony. It'll do."

"Why did you have to wake us all up? Couldn't it wait till morning?" An aggravated female voice called out, a collective agreement sounding from the crowd.

"No, it couldn't. We... we've got some bad news."

Twilight felt her stomach began to turn.

"Last evening, Princess Celestia left from Canterlot Castle at 1500 hours on a flight to Stalliongrad. Halfway through the flight, her aircraft encountered a blizzard, the same one that hit yesterday. We still don't know how it happened... but the aircraft impacted the side of a hill, and... Princess Celestia, including the two pilots... didn't survive."

There was a cry of horror and sorrow from the crowd. Twilight felt her heart sink, tears starting to well up in her eyes. Her mind reeled, doubt and shock taking over any thought she previously had.

"The funeral will be in four days. You are all invited." Cloud Drop said loudly before he and the five guards that accompanied him left the town.

The crowd began dispersing a bit, a quiet chatter of dismay hung in the air.

"Celestia can't be gone, this isn't happening, Twilight, this isn't real, is it?" Rainbow asked, looking over at Twilight.

"Y-yes, it's real. It... it doesn't seem real..." The crying Alicorn choked.

"I can only imagine how hurt Princess Luna is." Rarity said quietly, tears of her own began to roll down her cheeks.

Twilight shut her eyes tightly, tears falling from her cheeks to the snow-covered pavement.

Celestia's eyes slowly opened as she woke up, the feeling of burning pain slowly coming back to her left wing. She realized that she was sitting on some sort of bench and her neck and front legs were restrained by something, she tried to pull her front legs free from whatever was holding them, the sound of chains clanking filled the small, dark, cold room she was in.

There was a small candle in the corner, barely providing enough light for her to see the chains that were restraining her and after a moment her Royal shoes and breast plate laying in the corner of the room next to the candle. Celestia's horn began to glow, but immediately was cut short, throbbing pain shooting from her horn and causing her to yell out. There was something blocking her magic, it felt like there was some sort of ring tightly fixed at the base of her horn.

Fear began to set in. Why had somepony she had known for 35 years shot her down and locked her in this little room? Did Twilight know? For that matter, did anypony know? There was the sound of a doorknob being turned, followed by hoof steps. She could see movement through the barred door of the room she was in, the door opened and several ponies, all with the same eerie, glowing eyes as Nightmare Moon, stepped inside.

Celestia was met by a group of four stallions, at the group's center stood Star Yield. To his right were two other Stallion's, the first had a light blue coat and dark blue mane, and the second, a had a sleek, white coat and a mane almost identical in color to the first's. To Star's left was a shorter Stallion, he had a red coat of fur and a white mane, and unlike the other three, he wore a pair of square reading glasses. Celestia's eyes went back to Star as he stepped away from the group and towards Celestia.

"Starry? W-why am I here?" Celestia asked, still not fully woken up.

Star Yield raised his hoof, slamming it across her face, causing her to yelp in pain.

"Don't call me Starry." He snarled, staring into Celestia's fearful eyes.

"W-why did you hit me? Please, Starry, tell me what's going on." She said, choking back tears.

Star Yield brought up his hoof again, hitting Celestia across her left eye, the impact of his hoof leaving a deep, painful gash, blood beginning to drip from the cut and down her cheek

"Didn't I just say not to call me Starry? You're here because you are the one that caused the true leader of Equestria so much pain and had your little pet project rip away and destroy our glorious Mother." Star Yield responded.

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon, I don't see how you couldn't have caught on by now. You've brought enough pain to Princess Luna, and we think it's time for that to end. As for Twilight Sparkle, we'll let Nightmare Moon decide her fate."

"B-but, Nightmare Moon is gone!"

"That's where you come it. Once we've made you feel every ounce of pain our mother and Princess Luna felt and destroyed your psyche, your body will serve as a host for our glorious mother to be re-born into!"

Celestia gave a light chuckle.

"Didn't it ever occur to you that Twilight, my sister and the rest of Equestria will wonder why I disappeared all of a sudden?"
She spoke.

A thought popped into Star Yield's mind. An extra layer of torture.

"Twilight and Equestria might worry, but you're sister won't."
He spoke with a grin.

Celestia's face went to a look of disbelief. She could feel her blood run cold.

"W-What do you mean, my sister won't worry...?" Asked her hollow voice.

"Who do you think is orchestrating all of this? Princess Luna has been planning this since her return. I'm surprised you hadn't pieced it together. The Aura I and the rest of my brothers and sisters have was bestowed upon us by her, and we get stronger each day. This is bigger than you, much bigger, and no one, no one at all, suspects a thing." Star finished, the corners of his mouth stretched in a horrible grin.

Indeed, Luna had created the Aura, many years ago, but she had never been able to use it. Celestia and Twilight had brought a stop to a lot of the plans she had before she was turned back into herself from Nightmare moon. The only thing Star had lied about was Luna being behind everything, in fact, Luna had no idea any of the massive scheme behind Celestia's 'death' existed.

"Y-you're lying... You are lying! My sister would never do this! Nightmare Moon was torn from her and took every piece of evil with it. We made her good again!!" She screamed, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"'We made her good again!?' Hah! Hardly."

Celestia didn't respond, angered tears turning to heaving cries of horror and disbelief. Star stepped up to Celestia and swiftly swatted the golden bejeweled crown from her head.

"You won't be needing that anymore."

He and the three ponies finally left the cell, leaving the broken hearted Celestia to weep in her new cell.

"Why did you lie to her about Luna?" The White Stallion in the group asked.

"Well... I think it might make things worse for her. She was extremely upset by it, wasn't she?"
Star said.

"She was. I'll make sure to keep this going."

"Good, now I have a request to make." Star Yield stated to the trio.

"Yes, sir?"
The light blue pony said.

"I want Celestia to be under full-time watch so that she doesn't try and escape, that's why I want the three of you to stay here in this house until we drag her out of that cell and bring back our glorious mother of the Night. I hope it's not too much trouble for the three of you."

"Not at all, sir. We'll do anything to make sure she stays in that cell." The pony with glasses commented.

"Good. And as for your absence from the castle, I'll have Cloud Drop mark you all as 'on vacation'." Star Yield continued, levitating his coat off of the couch and putting it on, heading for the door.

"Oh, one more thing. Don't kill her. And no dismemberment, our mother's magic is powerful enough to heal simple wounds and broken bones, but not missing limbs."

"Copy that, sir." The light blue pony replied, saluting Star Yield as he exited out the wooden door of the small house.

"I think we should go talk to Twilight. She must be so sad after getting the news," Fluttershy said, addressing the four ponies in front of her.

"I think we should ask her why it's 10 in the morning and the sun hasn't come up," Rainbow Dash moaned, a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"RAINBOW DASH! How on earth could you be so cruel!? Princess Luna just lost her sister, I'm not surprised she hasn't risen the sun!" Exclaimed Rarity, an angry expression on her face.

Rainbow didn't say anything in return.

"Can you even imagine what it's like? She's been through so much, and now this," Said Pinkie Pie, a sad look on her normally happy face. She was holding her head in her hooves.

"Fluttershy, you're right, we should go talk to Twilight. She's always said that talking about things can make you feel better," Rainbow said after a moment, standing up from her seat at the table.

The rest of the group agreed, standing up and walking out of the doors of Sugar Cube Corner, where the group of friends had been talking. The streets of Ponyville were strangely quiet, no shop-keeps yelling out the special sale of the day, no happy ponies chatting over a meat, just a sad, cold silence. Any pony the group passed looked depressed, their heads hung low as they silently mourned the loss of the Princess. The group reached Twilight's home, Fluttershy knocking softly on the door. After a minute passed, no pony came to the door.

"I don't think you knocked hard enough," Rainbow Dash said, stepping over to the door and knocking a little louder.

Seconds later the door opened, a depressed looking Spike standing inside the doorway.

"Hey, Spike. Is Twilight here?" Pinkie Pie asked, poking her head in over Rainbow's shoulder.

"She's in her room. Hasn't been out since we got the news."

Spike stepped aside, allowing the group to enter.

"I'll go talk with her." Fluttershy said quietly, walking away from the group and up the stairs.

After reaching the top of the stairs Fluttershy knocked on the door to Twilight's room. The door opened, revealing a down-trodden purple Alicorn that barely resembled Twilight Sparkle.

"What do you want Flu---"

Twilight's sentence was cut short as Fluttershy hugged her, wrapping her front legs around Twilight's neck. Twilight started to tear up, all of the emotional pain of loss welling back up in her chest. Twilight's head fell across Fluttershy's shoulders as she began to cry.

"S-she was my friend... and I-I... I never got so say goodbye!" Twilight yelled as she sobbed loudly.

"Shhh. It's okay, it's okay." Fluttershy whispered.

Twilight continued to snivel, tears falling from her cheeks and landing on Fluttershy's back. After a few moments, Twilight lifted her head up as she pushed herself away from Fluttershy, tears still rolling down her wet cheeks. She looked away from the yellow Pegasus momentarily as she noticed the rest of her friends near the door of the library.

"You guys shouldn't have come by. I'm fine." She lied, walking past Fluttershy and down the stairs.

"You're fine? Right." Rainbow Dash said in a sarcastic tone.

Twilight levitated a box of tissues off of a table in the main room of the library, pulling one of the small paper rectangles out of the box, using it to dry off her cheeks and blow her nose.

"It... it just hurts so much. I've never lost somepony close to me." She said as she walked into the living room adjacent to the library's main room.

Twilight sat herself down in a red, fabric covered reading chair, her friends all sitting down on a large couch. Twilight rested her head on her hoof, looking at a picture of Princess Celestia. Seconds later she used her magic to flip the picture down, making it no longer visible.

"I don't believe it," She said, her voice a different tone than before.

"Ah can't believe it either, it just don't seem possible," Applejack replied.

"No, I mean I don't believe that she's gone. There's something going on, I don't know what, but I don't believe that my friend is dead," Twilight clarified, a single tear falling from her blood-shot eyes.

"Do... do you think that... never mind." Started Rainbow Dash, cutting herself off.

"Think what, Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

"Do you think that Princess Luna had anything to do with this? I mean... she has a history of, well... not liking Celestia."

"I don't know. It doesn't seem like it, though. The last few times I was with Celestia and Luna they both seemed extremely happy, especially Luna. Anything is possible at this point, but I need to find out more about this. Something that struck me as odd was the way Cloud Drop informed everyone about this," Twilight said.

"Who's Cloud Drop?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"He is... was, Celestia's personal guard and military advisor. He's an Admiral, which means he's only a rank below my brother. When he told everyone, he seemed so calm, He's known her for years. I just have a hard time believing that he could be so calm and well-composed after what happen."

"Do you think he had anything to do with it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Maybe... Right now we don't have any right to suspect anyone of being involved in all this, maybe no pony is involved in it, and I'm just being paranoid."

Author's Note

I've spent more time than I'd like to admit trying to fix any grammar and spelling errors in this long story... but I know there still are some. If you spot one, please notify me